


Leave a Message

by starburstonlayaway



Category: Teamiplier - Fandom
Genre: Angst, But it's okay, Fluff, Homophobia, M/M, Shit gets deep, Transgender, Transphobia, Tythan, btw there's a little septiplier, just a little, mtf, some biphobia, there's a lot of, warning..........death
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-16
Updated: 2019-05-29
Packaged: 2019-06-28 03:03:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 17
Words: 39,248
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15698823
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/starburstonlayaway/pseuds/starburstonlayaway
Summary: "Tyler and Ethan Scheid. That had a nice ring to it."A story about love, loss, family, and acceptance.-Updates at least once a month <3





	1. From Boyfriend To Husband

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Anyone who has ever felt unwanted or unaccepted. You are loved](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=Anyone+who+has+ever+felt+unwanted+or+unaccepted.+You+are+loved).



#  **July 15th, 2018**

#  **5:53 PM**

Tyler stared into the mirror, scanning over his facial appearance, hair, and tuxedo. His eyes lingered over his own body for a short while before coming back up to lock with their reflection. He rolled his shoulders, shaking off nerves. He breathed deeply, admiring his appearance. Tyler wasn’t usually one to admire himself, but he felt too good today to feel insecure. His lips curved at one end subconsciously.

The door behind him swung open loudly, making Tyler jump out of his state. He whipped his head around, falling back into his vanity desk. Once he realized who stood at the door, his eyebrows furrowed.

“What the heck, Mark?” he breathed, standing himself straight.

Mark stood in the doorway, both hands on opposing sides of the frame, seemingly frantic. He breathed heavily, before walking into the room a few steps.

“I got word from Kathryn, Ethan’s ready. Are you? We gotta get out there in, like, less than ten minutes. Which means we gotta get out there  _ now _ . You better be ready. Please,  _ please  _ for the love of god, be ready.” Mark exhaled the words out all in one go, excitement accompanying his presence. Tyler couldn’t help but smile a little. Mark had done so much for Tyler and Ethan, from renting the venue to planning all of the events, and he was still worried he hadn’t done enough. If anything, he’d done more than Tyler and Ethan with setting up this wedding. And it was  _ their  _ wedding. Mark was… Very excited for his friends, to say the least.

“I’m ready, but we’re not in a rush or anything,” Tyler said. Mark stared at him with wide eyes and furrowed brows in judging silence.

“Of  _ course _ we’re in a rush, you slut! The sooner you guys get married, the sooner you have kids, and the sooner I’m an uncle!”

“Aren’t you occupied enough as it is? If you’re so involved in the idea of having a family, then why haven’t you and Jack had any kids of your  _ own  _ yet?”

“Don’t roast us like this. You know full well that Marcus is  _ technically _ our biological kid.”

“Maybe  _ your _ biological kid. Not Jack’s.”

“Okay, shut up.”

Tyler snickered to himself silently, turning back to the mirror. He examined his facial hair, petting it down and making sure it looked nice. Mark stood in the doorway and crossed his arms with a pout.

“Come  _ on _ , Tyler. Can we go already?”

“Ethan might be ready, but what if I’m not?”

Mark blinked. “You’re getting cold feet?! You  _ bitch! _ ”

Tyler quickly turned around and waved his hands. “No, no! I want to marry Ethan. I meant preparation-wise.”

“Oh,” Mark’s face dropped, before quickly walking forward and grabbing Tyler’s wrist. “You look great. Let’s go.”

Mark pulled Tyler to the hallway urgently, Tyler hardly fighting. He guessed the only reason he stalled Mark was because he was a little nervous. He’d never really thought about marrying anyone when he was younger. This was a day that he had never really seen coming, and even though he was glad it was here, he couldn’t shake the tight feeling in his chest.

Nonetheless, he let Mark guide him out to the venue.

Mark let go of Tyler’s wrist, and Tyler realized how sweaty Mark’s hand was. Mark opened the double doors of the building that lead to the outside, Tyler watching while wiping his wrist on his black suit trousers. Mark stepped aside, beckoning excitedly for Tyler to go first. Tyler shook his head and smiled at his friend, following the orders given to him.

Mark really had gone all out with making the altar just like Tyler had wanted it to look. The arch was made out of expensive wood that had been painted white with golden accents. Flowery vines were twirled all around the wood, the flowers colors of black, grey, purple, and blue. The chairs surrounding the aisle were all made of the same wood as the arch, the cushions blue and grey. Both Ethan and Tyler’s family alike filled those chairs, chattering away with one another. Tyler quickly scanned the side filled with Ethan’s relatives, and wasn’t surprised to see Ethan’s aunt and uncle were not present.

He hoped to god that Ethan wouldn’t notice.

The guests quieted down and turned their heads to look at Tyler, and he felt put on the spot. Most of the guests smiled at him, others clapped quietly. He could see that two people in particular were both smiling and clapping. Seeing Jack and Kathryn so supportive of him was majorly comforting to Tyler. He exhaled, and glanced at Mark behind him. Mark was already smiling, and nudged his head towards the arch.

Tyler walked down the aisle and received praise from just about everyone sat in chairs. He high-fived Jack on his way to his place next to the officiant. The lady smiled at him, and he returned the gesture. She opened her book as Mark took his place next to Tyler, gazing over his friend’s tux and wiping off some dust quickly. Mark gave Tyler a thumbs-up, and Tyler couldn’t stop smiling. Now that he was actually out in front of the guests and standing where he was meant to be, his nerves relaxed.

In fact, every thought he’d ever had in doubt of this marriage before that moment vanished as soon as Ethan walked out.

Locking arms with Amy, Ethan reached the opposite end of the aisle than where Tyler was stood. Tyler couldn’t keep his eyes off him. Ethan’s hair was combed over more than usual, but actually straying too far from how it usually looked. Tyler loved that. Ethan’s white tuxedo and black bowtie strongly contrasted Tyler’s black suit and white necktie. Mark had arranged that. Ethan locked eyes with Tyler, and Tyler seemed to fall in love all over again when Ethan smiled at him.

Mark leaned over to whisper to Tyler. “You checking out how you’re gonna wreck that ass tonight?”

“Mark, what the fuck? No.”

Mark giggled to himself and stood up straight again. Ethan had begun his way down the aisle towards the altar where Tyler, Mark, Kathryn, and the officiant stood, all eyes on the man in white. Despite everyone having all attention pointed to Ethan, Tyler could tell that Ethan was only interested in looking at his fiance. Tyler felt the same, because everyone else there seemed to disappear from view the moment Ethan came into view. Of course, until Mark had whispered to him just a second earlier, but that was crude of Mark.

Ethan reached the altar, gently letting go of Amy’s arm as she sat down in a chair nearby next to her girlfriend Signe. Ethan and Tyler turned to face one another, and Tyler was, ultimately, lost in how shiny Ethan’s eyes were today. Something about Ethan’s eyes felt different today than others. Tyler could feel himself melting. He loved this man so much it never failed to destroy him.

The officiant started talking, but Tyler was hyper-focused on Ethan. He almost didn’t process it when the lady asked him if he would take Ethan as his husband.

“I do.” Tyler managed to say quickly after the question was asked, only breaking eye contact with Ethan to look at her for a second before returning to his former state. This moment never seemed to end, and he loved that.

“And Ethan, will you take Tyler Scheid as your loving--”

“Of  _ course _ .” Ethan cut her off. Instead of being offended, she simply smiled and closed her book.

“I now pronounce you man and husband. You may now kiss the groom.”

Tyler and Ethan stepped a small bit closer to one another, and Tyler placed his hands on Ethan’s torso gently as they kissed. Ethan cupped Tyler’s face, and everyone cheered. The two broke apart finally, and exchanged rings. Tyler and Ethan looked out over all the guests, and Tyler saw Mark sobbing grossly out of the corner of his eye. Tyler then turned to see Kathryn clapping quickly, tears falling from her eyes, but much more gracefully than Mark. Anything was more graceful than Mark.

From the front row, Jack pumped his fists and Amy popped a party popper that Mark gave her. Following Amy, suddenly a bunch of confetti shot up from a machine behind the arch that, evidently, neither Tyler or Ethan knew was there, given they both quickly turned to see where the exploding sound had come from. Both men instantly turned to look at Mark, who wiped some snot on his sleeve before shrugging sheepishly. Despite the surprise, Tyler and Ethan were still smiling. The confetti was a nice touch. And it was colored black, grey, blue, and purple, like the flowers on the arch. Tyler felt Ethan slip his hand into Tyler’s, and the two held hands as they marveled at the scenery. After a moment, Tyler and Ethan turned to face one another again, and softly kissed once again.

Though the rest of the day wasn’t as nice as the ceremony, Tyler accepted that  _ nothing _ will ever be as nice as his wedding ceremony. The reception was nice. Tyler danced with his mother, and so did Ethan. At some point Tyler was talking with a few of the guests when Ethan pulled him aside.

“My Aunt Gia and Uncle Zane didn’t come, did they?”

Tyler’s face dropped. So he  _ did _ notice.

“I… No. I don’t think they did. I’m sorry, Ethan.”

Ethan inhaled deeply, his eyes closing. He exhaled, and looked up at Tyler, his face slowly glowing up.

“Well, I’m actually glad. I don’t need them when I have you.”

Tyler smiled at his new husband. Ethan grabbed his hand and pulled him out to the middle of the room. Guests quickly flooded to the sidelines and the room went quiet. Ethan held up their interlocked hands and placed his own hand on Tyler’s shoulder. Tyler, though a bit surprised, quickly realized what Ethan pulled him into, and softly placed his free hand on Ethan’s waist. The lights went down a little and whoever was in charge of the music quickly changed it, sensing the mood. The song changed to one that Ethan and Tyler both agreed would be nice to dance to.

_ “We are searchlights, we can see in the dark… We are rockets, pointed up at the stars-” _

Tyler couldn’t keep his eyes off of Ethan. Ethan’s smile. Ethan’s hair. Ethan’s dimple. Ethan’s eyes. God, he was so in love he couldn’t think of anything but Ethan.

_ “We are billions of beautiful hearts… And you sold us down the river too far-” _

Ethan couldn’t believe his luck, meeting Tyler. He always said that, he never shut up about how he couldn’t have met a more perfect soulmate for himself. This was a day he truly relished.

_ “What about us? What about all the times you said you had the answers? What about us? What about all the broken happy ever afters? What about us? What about all the plans that ended in disaster? What about love? What about trust? What about us?” _

The dance was so sincere, so genuine, and everybody in the room felt the love shared between the two men. Mark watched with clasped hands, excited to witness something he found so beautiful.

_ “We are problems that want to be solve… We are children that need to be loved… We were willin', we came when you called… But man, you fooled us, enough is enough, oh-” _

The two dancing newlyweds came to a slow halt and closed their eyes, gently placing their foreheads together. A few “awww”s sounded from the guests in the sidelines. Ethan moved his hand from Tyler’s shoulder to cup his partner’s head, Tyler’s ear between his thumb and pointer finger, and Tyler lifted his hand to the back of the shorter boy’s head, softly brushing through Ethan’s hair.

_ “Sticks and stones, they may break these bones… But then I'll be ready, are you ready? It's the start of us, waking up come on… Are you ready? I'll be ready… I don't want control, I want to let go… Are you ready? I'll be ready… 'Cause now it's time to let them know… We are ready, what about us?” _

The two opened their eyes and gazed at each other for a moment before sharing another tender kiss. The hands they held beared their rings, and Tyler’s heart leaped in joy when he felt the presence of their wedding rings. He was more excited about this marriage than he ever thought he’d be.

_ “What about us? What about all the times you said you had the answers? So what about us? What about all the broken happy ever afters? Oh, what about us? What about all the plans that ended in disaster? Oh, what about love? What about trust? What about us?” _

The two parted, and gazed at each other again. Their hands lowered, and held each other.

_ “What about us?” _

Tyler and Ethan Scheid. That had a nice ring to it.


	2. Charlotte

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, there's a death here. Just one.

#  **July 30th, 2019**

#  **3:47 AM**

“What do you think they’ll be like?”

Tyler looked over at his partner, who was unable to sit still in his excitement.

“What do you mean?”

Ethan looked at Tyler, a smile on his face. “Do you think we’ll get a son? Or maybe a daughter? What will their interests be? How responsible do we want them to be? Would we let them go to parties in their teen years?”

Tyler smiled at Ethan. “You’re really excited about this, huh?”

Ethan nodded so hard Tyler was afraid he’d hurt his neck. “I can’t wait to start a family with you, Ty.”

Tyler’s loving gaze towards Ethan was short-lived, as someone came through the walkway that entered the waiting room. “Tyler and Ethan Scheid?”

Tyler and Ethan perked up, looking at the man. They stood, and he motioned for them to follow him, and Ethan almost ran before Tyler put an arm out to stop him.

“Calm down,” Tyler whispered to him as they walked. “We don’t wanna scare our newborn child.”

Ethan took a breath. “Oof. Sorry.”

The man lead them to a room that was dark, and as Tyler’s eyes adjusted to it, he saw a crib in one corner of the room, and a machine he recognized as an incubator in the room. The two husbands followed the man to the incubator, where the man pulled up information on a screen next to the machine.

“Incubated for nine months, like requested. The baby was born healthy and happy. We kept the baby here for a few days to make sure there were no abnormalities from the software. Congratulations, it’s a girl.”

Ethan gasped, and grabbed Tyler’s hand. Tyler had to breathe to get through the pain of Ethan squeezing his hand with all his might.

“Are you ready to meet her?”

“Ready as we’ll ever be.”

The man turned off the screen and walked them over to the crib. While they stood there, the man walked over and turned on the lights, which were bright enough so they could look into the bassinet, but not too bright that it would wake what was inside.

Inside the crib was a little baby that was fast asleep. She had a little dark hair growing on her head, and she wore a pink onesie. Tyler stared at her. She was perfect.

“She’s perfect.” Ethan took the words right out of Tyler’s mouth.

“I’m glad you like her. Would you like to take her home today?”

“Yes, we would.” Tyler said.

The man nodded, and walked over to a desk near the door. He pulled out a sheet of paper, and sat down with a pen in hand.

“What would you like to name her?”

“Ooh, have we thought about actually  _ naming _ our child?” Ethan said. Tyler snickered.

“ _ I _ have. I don’t know about you.”

“Okay, well, what do you have in mind?”

“Hmm, what about Rose?”

“Ehhhhh, nah.”

“Alright,  _ bitch _ , how about, uhhhhhh… Charlotte?”

“Charlotte. Yeah. I like Charlotte.”

The man began writing.

“Charlotte Scheid. Born July 25th, 2019, at 12:49 AM. 8.7 pounds.”

#  **August 4th, 2021**

#  **2:32 AM**

_ One night,  _ Tyler thought to himself as Charlotte’s shrieking cries awoke him and his husband from their sleep.  _ One night is all I want. Just a full night’s rest.  _

Ethan sat up beside him before Tyler (a little harder than he meant to), pushed him back down onto the bed. 

“I got this,” he muttered sleepily. “Just go back to sleep.” 

Ethan yawned and nodded as he rolled over and curled up under the blanket. Tyler rolled his eyes and rose to his feet. He strolled casually out of his room, rubbing his eyes as he shuffled down the hall. Once he reached the nursery door, he pushed it open and just stared at his crying two year old as she kicked and flailed her small legs around. She was teething, and unfortunately that meant that Tyler would be up till about 4 in the morning. 

He sighed as he made his way to the crib and picked Charlotte up into his arms. 

“Shhhh, princess. It’s okay, daddy's here,” he whispered as he bounced her up and down. Her head was leaning against his shoulder when she suddenly pulled away from him so she could look at him. Her eyes were red, puffy, and watery, with tears running down her face. It broke Tyler’s heart to see her so upset. Then she placed her hand to her forehead.

“Boo boo, papa. Kiss?” she said. 

“Your head hurts?” Tyler asked, and she nodded. He smiled sweetly and kissed his daughter’s forehead. To his shock, it was hot to the touch. He quickly rested his hand against her forehead, and then the back of her neck. He wasn’t sure what her temperature was exactly, but he knew it was running high. Way too high. 

“Ethan?!” he called back over his shoulder.

“What?! What is it?!” Ethan called back. 

“Will you come here real quick?! I think Charlotte is running fever!” 

A few moments later, Ethan came trudging in the room, his hair sticking up in all sorts of crazy directions. He smiled sleepily at his husband and little girl, before resting the palm of his hand against her forehead. His smile quickly faded and turned into and expression of panic as he felt the back of her neck. 

“Do you have your phone?” Ethan asked. 

“Not on me, why?” Tyler replied as Ethan hurried out of the room. Tyler sighed and went back to gently bouncing Charlotte, who had calmed down now, only a little bit sniffly as tears slowly rolled down her cheeks, her head resting against her papa. 

Ethan returned a few moments later, and held his phone up in front of Charlotte. 

“What are you doing?” Tyler asked as he shook his head. 

“You know that app we have on our phone that allows us to skype and plan appointments with our doctors? Well, it has a built in scanning thermometer,” Ethan replied nonchalantly while placing the device onto Charlotte’s neck. The phone calculated for a few moments before it made a beeping noise. 

Ethan pulled it away and looked down at his screen. A few moments later, his eyes grew big with horror. 

“What? What is it? How high is it?” Tyler asked as Charlotte wrapped her arms around his neck. 

“We need to go to an emergency room, now!” Ethan snapped. It was alarming to Tyler to see how panicked he was now, and as Ethan quickly left the room, Tyler followed quickly after him.

“What is it?” Tyler asked again. “How high is it?” 

“105. Doctor’s say that 104 or higher is dangerous, and according to this, her temperature is going up,” Ethan said quickly, the words coming out faster than Tyler could process them. 

“Okay… Okay, I’ll get the keys and go start the car, you take Charlotte,” Tyler said, growing frantic now as well. 

Neither of them knew that the next few days would be long and tragic.

#  **August 6th, 2021**

#  **4:12 AM**

Charlotte spent the next two days in the hospital. Tyler and Ethan refused to leave her side through all of it. Ethan was currently asleep in a chair aside Charlotte’s bed, while Tyler stayed up to watch Charlotte. He sat on her opposite side, her tiny hand held in his, the small IV drip poking out of her hand, and he sat quietly and listened to the sound of the heart monitor. 

She was sweating, her normally bouncy, dark, curly hair, matted and stuck to her forehead with sweat. It was awful to see her like this. She was such a happy and energetic child. 

Pneumonia, the doctors had said. It had come quickly, and she had been so sick. She’d slept most of the past two days, only occasionally waking up, which even then, was short lived. The doctors had told him and Ethan there was a chance she wouldn’t get better, but that was slim. More than likely, she’d get better and return to her happy self, though that time couldn’t come quickly enough for Tyler. 

She awoke now, her eyes slowly opening to meet his. She smiled when she saw him, which was enough to make him smile too. 

“Hello, princess,” Tyler greeted her warmly. 

“Papa,” the girl said softly in return. 

“Yes, my sweet?”

“I love you,” the small girl said quietly. Tyler’s heart stopped. This had been the first time he’d ever heard those words leave her mouth. If only the first time she said it could have been during a happier time. Either way, Tyler smiled widely. 

“I love you too, princess. And so does your daddy,” Tyler told her. The young girl smiled sleepily and Tyler leaned in close to kiss her forehead. She closed her eyes again.  _ Good,  _ Tyler thought.  _ She needs her rest. And so do I.  _

Taking the moment to catch some shut eye himself, he leaned back in his seat and closed his eyes. He felt good. His little girl had just told him for the first time that she loved him, and he felt positive that she would get better soon. He was at ease, and for the first time in the past two chaotic days, he felt peace. 

He’d just started to drift off when suddenly, a horrifying sound greeted his ears. His eyes shut open and he quickly jerked up right into an erect position, panic making his heart beat faster. The sight that greeted his eyes was worse than the sound of the heart monitor flat lining. 

_ No…. No, this can’t be happening _ . But there it was. The green line was flat, no ups or downs. No more beeping sounds. Just a buzz. 

Tyler quickly looked back down to his little girl, her eyes closed, and her soft smile still on her lips.  _ No, no she isn’t gone, she can’t be. _

“Charlotte! Charlotte?!” Tyler cried, panic taking hold of him as he grabbed her violently by her shoulders. Ethan jumped awake, and looked up in alarm at Tyler. 

“What the hell are you-?!” Ethan trailed off when his eyes landed on the heart monitor. He fell back in his seat in disbelief, a hand quickly clasped over his mouth in shock. 

“No, no, no, no! Charlotte, wake up! Ethan, go get a nurse, a-a doctor! Somebody! We can’t lose her!” Tyler barked. Ethan quickly jumped to his feet and run out of the room. 

“Someone help! Please, help us!” Ethan screamed desperately down the dark hall. Tyler didn’t know what to do, so he cupped his hands around his little girl’s face, her damp curls still sticking to her forehead. 

“No, no please! Please! Charlotte, please! Come back to papa!” Tyler muttered as tears began to roll down his cheeks. Her eyes were still closed, and her soft smile still on her lips. No, she was too young. She couldn’t be taken from them like this. But she was already growing cold. 

That was when reality hit him. She was gone, and there was nothing he could do. Violent sobs wracked his body now as he brushed a dark curl out of her face and tucked it behind her ear. He grabbed her already growing stiff hand and held it to his cheek. 

When Ethan and the doctor returned, Tyler stepped aside, sobs still shaking his shoulders, as Ethan came to his side. 

“She’ll be alright, won’t she, Tyler?” Ethan asked in a hushed, but panicked tone as tears filled his eyes. Tyler closed his eyes and shook his head slowly. Before Ethan could say anything else, the doctor rose and turned to them, a somber look in his eyes. 

“I’m sorry,” was all he could say. The next sounds that met Tyler’s ears were that of Ethan’s screams as he fell to the floor. Their little girl was gone.


	3. A Little Boy In April

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> stay safe kiddos xoxo

#  **April 3rd, 2024**

#  **11:34 AM**

Tyler took a swig of his water with a gasp, a little bit of the liquid dripping off his chin. He wasn’t sure if it was sweat or water or a disgusting mixture of the two, but he didn’t really give himself time to ponder. He needed to push himself more than he’s been recently. And recently means the past three years. He hasn’t been doing too well exercise-wise and didn’t feel good about that.

He quickly latched the bottle back onto his pants and continued his jog. He was panting and he knew he was going to cramp soon, but decided to focus on the sidewalk in front of him. He’d stop for another swig of water three blocks down.

Suddenly, Tyler was interrupted as he heard a little boy call out, “Hey, mister?”

Tyler skid to a stop and turned to look at where the voice originated. There stood a little boy who was staring at him with wide brown eyes. The little boy had chocolate skin and dark freckles dotted all over his skin. He wore a simple green t-shirt and jeans and sneakers. He had a backpack slung over his shoulders, and his hair was frizzy and short. Tyler blinked in confusion before turning to the boy.

“You talking to me?”

The boy nodded nervously.

“What’s up?”

“Could… Could you walk me to school?”

Tyler blinked again, giving himself a second to process the question. “Why isn’t anyone else walking you?”

“Well… Nobody was really available or had time to come with me today… And I’m a little afraid to go alone… If it’s too much trouble, you don’t need to, I’m sorry.”

“No, no, it’s okay. I can walk you. How far away is your school?”

The little boy pointed in the direction Tyler was originally going. “Two blocks down to the right.”

Tyler hummed to himself. “Huh. You’re smart for someone so young. How old are you?”

“I’m six, turning seven this year. I’m Bryan.”

“I’m… Tyler.”

Bryan held out his hand and Tyler shook it while fighting back a smile. The last thing Tyler wanted was to appear as a creep to this kid. He wasn’t a creep.

Bryan held onto Tyler’s hand as Tyler walked him down the sidewalk. Tyler was too nervous to speak, and let the little boy guide him.

“Where do you live, Mr. Tyler?”

Tyler looked down at Bryan as they stopped at the end of the block. “I live in a house down the road from here.”

He almost asked where Bryan lived, but decided against it, as it would add onto the creep act he didn’t want to convey.

Nonetheless, Bryan answered his unasked question. “I live close to where I met you.”

“Really? That’s… Nice?”

Tyler honestly didn’t know how to talk to random children.

“Mmm… I wouldn’t really call it nice. The orphanage is very crowded.”

That made Tyler’s eyes go a bit wider. “Orphanage?”

“Yeah. I live in Kim South Orphanage.”

Tyler almost didn’t believe it. He knew the orphanage was there, he just always chose to ignore its presence as he thought it didn’t have many children there. In fact, he didn’t think it had children at all. He’d never seen any playing around the building while on his jogs.

“If… If you don’t mind me asking, how long have you been at the orphanage?”

“Only a few months. I used to live a lot farther from here.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. My mom and I lived near the beach. It was nice there. I wish we’d had a house, ‘cause then maybe I’d still be with her and not at Kim South’s.”

“Oh,” Tyler found himself speaking without his own consent. “I’m sorry to hear that.”

“It’s okay. I need to focus on my schoolwork for now. I’ll be able to visit her once school’s over.”

They reached an elementary school that Tyler hadn’t usually cared enough to remember the name of, but now he couldn’t stop himself from memorizing the name. Apricot Peak Elementary.

Bryan let go of his fingers, maintaining the same neutral and innocent expression he’d had through their whole trip. “Thank you for walking me, Mr. Tyler. I hope I can see you on another one of your runs soon.”

“...No problem, kid. Just be careful about who you ask to walk you.”

Tyler watched at Bryan ran inside the school building. He lingered there for a second, before remembering the jog that he’d left the house to run. He glanced at the building where Bryan disappeared from his vision before continuing his run around the area again.

#  **April 3rd, 2024**

#  **1:28 PM**

“You’re home later than usual.”

Ethan placed a pot full of pasta and water off a hot stovetop and poured its contents into a strainer in the sink. Tyler wiped at his forehead as he shut the front door behind him.

“Yeah, sorry, I got a bit side-tracked this morning.”

“Really? Nothing usually side-tracks the great Tyler Scheid while he’s on his jog. What happened?”

“Oh, nothing big. Just that a little boy asked me to walk him to school. He was really sweet. Lives in the orphanage down the road. Kim South? His name is Bryan. Six years old.”

“He sounds adorable,” Tyler walked into the kitchen and watched as his husband poured cheese into the pot where the strained pasta was. Ethan mixed the concoction as he spoke. “What did he say to you?”

“He lived on the beach with his mother a few months ago before being placed in the orphanage. He goes to school now. Honestly, the entire trip I was hoping to not come off as creepy or as a pedophile.”

“Well, I’m glad he asked you and not a different random guy on the street.”

“I am, too.”

Ethan poured the cheesy pasta into two separate bowls. “Alright. Lunch is ready.”

Tyler nodded even though he knew Ethan wasn’t looking at him, and took his bowl. He sat down at one end of the dining table, his spouse sitting on the opposite side. “I never really thought that Kim South Orphanage was crowded.”

“What makes you say that suddenly?”

“Bryan said that it wasn’t nice there, he said it was crowded. Apparently the only reason he was walking alone was because nobody at the orphanage was available.”

“Aw, poor thing.”

“How many kids could there possibly be there? It’s kind of a small building, isn’t it?”

“I can look it up.” Ethan pulled out his phone and typed into the Google search bar. His eyes went a little wide. “According to the internet, Kim South Orphanage houses 10,000 orphans as of 2020.”

“That was four years ago,” Tyler said, taking a bite of his pasta. “Is there a more recent number? That place can’t possibly house that many kids.”

“Not a lot of people adopt nowadays, Tyler.” Ethan turned off his phone and placed it on the table. “They could incubate their own kids or just have kids the old-fashioned way.”

“Hmm,” Tyler looked down at his meal, stirring it around with his fork. He thought about Bryan, and how sweet of a kid he was. His mother must have raised him well, despite needing him to be put in an orphanage like Kim South. He couldn’t help but feel sympathy for Bryan and his situation. He was just a kid. “Not gonna lie, now I kinda feel bad.”

“Why?”

“ _ We _ incubated our own child instead of adopting one that needed a home, Ethan.”

Ethan was quiet for a moment.

“And look how that turned out for us.”

Ethan stared at his pasta. “Are you suggesting we adopt a kid?”

Tyler’s eyes went wide. He didn’t realize that was the underlying message. “No, no! I know we’re not ready yet. I just… I don’t know. I’m sorry if I brought up bad memories, Eth.”

Ethan took a bite and swallowed in one go. “It’s fine. It’s been almost three years. We have to move on at some point, right?”

“Move on?”

“We had plans, Tyler. We wanted a family. We had one for a while, but… All I’m saying is that we can’t let what happened get the way of what we intended for ourselves.”

Tyler stirred some more he wasn’t exactly hungry anymore, but knew he needed to eat. This conversation was one that he and Ethan hadn’t really had since Charlotte passed. God, just the thought back to that day… Tyler always felt the urge to throw up. He closed his eyes and held his chin on the back of his hand.

“I guess you’re right.”

Ethan must have already finished, because he stood and picked up his bowl. “Eat. You haven’t been getting enough nutrition. Plus, it took me forever to make this cheese ‘n noods. Don’t be a whiny bitch.”

Tyler really didn’t find the request all that funny in itself, given his current state, but laughed softly anyways to let Ethan know that his day wasn’t  _ totally _ ruined.

“Okay. Thanks, Ethan.”

Ethan smiled and walked to the kitchen sink. Tyler heard the faucet turn on and Ethan wash out his bowl. Tyler opened his eyes and gazed at Ethan in the kitchen, who was focused on scrubbing the bowl clean of any leftover cheese muck. He wore a gentle and content smile on his lips. Tyler can’t even remember the last time he smiled himself.

He decided in that moment that he’d try harder. Try to smile more often, and try to be happy more often. For Ethan, because Ethan was one of the few people Tyler still held close in the world Tyler saw as so cold.


	4. Gee Wiz!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i havent updated in like a month njcglkfblnlf sorry about that
> 
> anyways Bryan is a dork but we love him right

#  **May 13th, 2024**

#  **2:03 PM**

Milk. Eggs. Bread. Cheese. That was all he needed to get. It was a small and simple list, but even for short runs to the store, Ethan looked forward to get home before he even walked out the door. 

“Love ya, hun!” he said as he kissed Tyler’s cheek as he forced a fake smile. Tyler didn’t notice, and smiled softly as he kissed Ethan’s palm, causing Ethan to giggle for real. 

“Love you, babe. I’ll see you when you get home.” Ethan grabbed his keys, the feeling he was far too use to now of dread filled his core as he opened the front door. 

The first few months after they’d lost her, he hadn’t left the house. He hadn’t talked much either, but rather would wake up and go sit in the rocking chair in Charlotte’s nursery. Sometimes he wouldn’t move for days, until Tyler would finally come in and pressure him to come down stairs. It took him six months before he started to live again, before he allowed himself to listen to music on the radio, or even leave the house. He lost a lot of weight during that time, and was still trying to get healthy again. But even now, 3 years later, it still took so much energy out of him just to walk out the front door. There was a part of him that he felt like had died that day they lost Charlotte, and his existence at this point was only for Tyler. If Tyler hadn’t been there, Ethan knew for sure he wouldn’t still be here either. 

He drove to the store without any problems. He went in and got the few items he needed before beginning to head to the self checkout line. He did all of this without having to interact with anyone, much to his relief. 

He remembered a time, almost a year after Charlotte was gone, that he’d first gone shopping by himself again. He’d gotten a long list of things and had waited in a long check out line. While waiting, two women had come up behind him. In one of their arms was a little girl, who had been eerily the spitting image of Charlotte. He couldn’t help but stare, his heart ached, and he almost envied these two mothers. When one of them had looked up at him, he realized what he was doing, and quickly looked away. He didn’t want to scare them, but when he’d gotten back to his car he’d slammed on the horn angrily before sobbing. 

He didn’t know why he was thinking about all of this, especially now, out of the blue. Maybe it was because of the adoption talk he and Tyler had had about a month ago. Since then, he’d been thinking about Charlotte more and more. 

He was walking blindly now, his mind so immersed in his own thoughts, that he didn’t see the little boy until he’d run into him with his cart. The little boy fell to the ground with an “ _ OOF!”  _ and Ethan’s eyes grew wide as he snapped out of his daze. 

“Oh my god! Kid, I’m so sorry, are you okay?! Here let me help you up!” Ethan said quickly, as he knelt to the ground and helped the small boy up. The freckled faced boy just shook his head and laughed. 

“Don’t worry about it, Mister. I’m fine. I was kind of in your way anyway.” Ethan frowned as he helped brush the dirt off the boy. 

“Well, maybe, but I should have been paying attention. I’m sorry. You’re not hurt are you?” The boy laughed again and shook his head. 

“I’m fine. No worries,” the kid said, flashing Ethan a toothy smile. Ethan felt something, a feeling he couldn’t quite grasp. But for the first time in a long time, he flashed a genuine smile as well. 

“Well, I’m sorry again kid. Have a nice day,” Ethan said as he began to walk off again. 

“Hey wait, mister!” the kid called after him. Ethan turned to look at the kid who seemed kinda sheepish now. 

“Um… I really don’t want to do this, but where I come from, I don’t get a lot of food. I have a little bit of cash, but you see that soup up there?” the kid pointed to a can on one of the higher shelves. Ethan nodded. 

“Well… I think I have enough to buy it, but I can’t get it down. Will you help me?” the kid asked. Ethan smiled warmly and nodded. 

“Sure kid.” He reached up and gripped the can. He was getting ready to hand it to the kid when he paused. He pursed his lips before putting it in his cart. 

“Hey, Mister, that’s my soup!” the kid said angrily. Ethan chuckled and ruffled the kid’s frizzy hair. 

“I know. That’s why I’m going to buy it for you.” The kid froze, and Ethan couldn’t help but smile at his priceless expression. 

“You… You mean it, Mister?” the kid asked. Ethan nodded. 

“Yeah. Come on, let’s go buy this stuff,” Ethan said as he motioned with his head for the boy to follow. 

“Do you have a way of cooking it at home?” Ethan asked as they got to the self checkout. The boy looked away sheepishly and shook his head. 

“No… I was just going to eat it raw, ya know?” Ethan frowned and thought for a moment. 

“Hey, normally I wouldn’t suggest this, but why don’t you come back to my house? I’ll cook it for you, and you can eat. I’ll even make you some butter toast to go with it, how does that sound?” the kid’s face lit up, and warmed Ethan’s heart. 

“Gee wiz, that’s very kind of you mister!” the kid said. He helped Ethan carry the bags to Ethan’s car, before Ethan opened the passenger door for him to get in. 

As they drove home Ethan decided to ask him some questions. 

“So what’s your name kid?” Ethan asked. 

“Bryan. How about you?” The kid, or Bryan asked in return. Ethan pondered for a moment, if this could be the same boy Tyler had met a month previously. 

“Ethan. And you can call me that. You don’t have to worry about being formal,” Ethan said. Bryan smiled. 

“Alright Ethan,” the kid said sweetly. Ethan smiled as he kept his eyes on the road. 

“Um… I have a husband. I hope that doesn’t alarm you or anything,” he said after a moment. 

“It’s 2024, Mr. Ethan. Who’s going to be alarmed by two guys who love each other?” Bryan asked. Ethan snorted and gently patted the kid’s shoulder. 

“I like you, Bryan. You’re cool.” Bryan smiled widely. 

“Thanks. So what’s your husband’s name?” he asked. 

“Tyler. Tyler Scheid,” Ethan replied as they pulled into the driveway. Just saying Tyler’s name made Ethan feel good. “I took his last name when we married.”

Bryan smiled and unbuckled his seatbelt. “I met a man named Tyler once. I think it was about a month ago. He walked me to school.”

Ethan froze, holding his door out in his halt. “Huh. Maybe we’re thinking of the same Tyler.”

Bryan nodded and the two got out of the car. Ethan gave Bryan one of the bags from the trunk while Ethan himself carried the other. Ethan locked the car with a push of a button on the car keys’ remote and the two made their way to the front door. Bryan marvelled at the building as Ethan fiddled with the keys, trying to find the right one.

“Woahhhh. Your house is a lot bigger than my place.”

Ethan set his jaw and looked at Bryan. Knowing that this kid may or may not be the orphan Tyler told him about makes that statement worse. Ten thousand kids in that orphanage, and the building itself is apparently smaller than a simple two-story modern house.

_ That’s horrible,  _ Ethan thought to himself as he stuck a key into the lock. He turned the knob with an inhale and walked inside with an exhale. He shut the door gently behind Bryan, and the only thought in his head was about Tyler seeing Bryan. Was this even the same Bryan? Sure, he looked seven, and his name was the same, and he said he’d met a guy named Tyler who had walked him to school, but what if Ethan was delusional? What if Ethan was just  _ hoping _ that this was the same Bryan so he’d have an excuse to like him? What if he wanted an excuse to--

No. Ethan wasn’t ready for more kids. At least, he didn’t think so.

“Tyler! I’m home!” Ethan said loudly. He heard footsteps above him when he and Bryan sat the grocery bags down on the dining table. Bryan carefully pulled out a chair from the table and hopped into it.

Ethan heard Tyler come down the stairs and held his breath.

“I brought a friend home. I hope you don’t mind.”

Tyler walked into the kitchen, looking at Ethan with a genuine smile that Ethan hasn’t seen in a while. Tyler glanced down at Bryan in the chair and froze. Bryan, in contrast, jumped up and stood in the chair to wave enthusiastically at the guy who wasn’t very far away.

“Hey, Mr. Tyler! It’s so cool to see you again! Your husband is really nice! He said he’s gonna cook for me!”

“Oh,” Tyler spoke, a bit taken aback. “That’s, uh, that’s great, buddy. Uh,” he looked up at Ethan with shock still in his eyes. “How did this… How did this come to happen?”

“He asked me to grab him some soup off the shelf for him, but I decided to pay for it. Then I offered to cook it for him. So, here we are.”

So it  _ was _ the same Bryan that Tyler had run into a month ago.

Tyler couldn’t fathom how coincidental it was that both he and Ethan ran into the same little boy, and that little boy made the same impression on both of them. Then Tyler began to get worried. How many strangers on the street did Bryan talk to everyday? How many houses has he visited in his time at the orphanage? Tyler hated to think about all the creepy encounters Bryan must have had in the past.

“Well, we’re happy to have you here, Bryan,” Tyler said as he took a seat beside him. Bryan sat back down and smiled widely up at Tyler who smiled as well. 

“I’ll have your soup and toast ready in just a few minutes, Bryan,” Ethan said as he took the soup can and walked back into the kitchen. 

“Okay, Mr. Ethan!” Bryan called back. Tyler didn’t really know what to do or say. He felt very awkward, and decided maybe just a few personal questions wouldn’t hurt. 

“So, Bryan… How’s school going?” Tyler asked, trying his best to make normal conversation. 

“It’s good I guess. Kids make fun of me because they say I smell, and I have to wear the same clothes every day. But it’s going good,” Bryan said nonchalantly, as he kicked his feet which hung way off the ground. Tyler frowned and rubbed the back of his neck. 

“I’m sorry to hear about that. Do… You have any friends?” 

“Eh… Not really. Kids mostly just stay away from me. They think I’m too girly cause I like flowers and the color pink.”

“Well, that’s a shame, because you’re a pretty sweet kid.”

“I know.” Tyler snorted and patted Bryan’s back. 

“Mr. Tyler? Are you and Mr. Ethan my friends?” Bryan asked. Tyler’s smile faded and he averted his gaze away from Bryan’s. 

“Do… You want us to be your friends?” Tyler asked. 

“It would be nice. You two seem pretty cool. And I don’t have many people who are nice to me,” Bryan said awkwardly as he rubbed his arm. Tyler felt something inside him, something he hadn’t felt in years. A protective instinct. A fatherly… Protective instinct. 

“Well then… Mr. Ethan and I are your friends,” Tyler said softly. Bryan’s eyes lit up and he smiled. 

“Thanks, Mr. Tyler! I’ve never had a friend before!” 

_ I love this kid,  _ Tyler thought suddenly. For a moment he thought that he was overreacting. But when he really thought about it, he was right. He felt something for this kid that he thought he’d lost the day his little girl left them. And in that moment, he made up his mind. 

“Bryan, I’ll be right back. I need to go talk to Mr. Ethan real quick,” Tyler said as he scooted his chair back and stood up. 

“Okay, Mr. Tyler,” Bryan said as Tyler walked into the kitchen. 

“Hey, we need to talk,” Tyler said as he closed the kitchen door behind him. 

“Okay… About what?” Ethan asked as he continued to tend to the soup. 

“The kid… Ethan, I know you’ve said you didn’t really want to try and have kids again and you didn’t want to adopt, but… I’m sorry, we have to adopt this kid!”

Ethan wasn’t drinking anything, but if he had he would have spewed it all out onto Tyler’s face. 

“What?! Are you crazy?! We can’t adopt a kid!” Ethan scoffed. 

“Why not? We’re financially stable, we  have a good house, we live in a good neighborhood not far from the school. Besides, he already really likes us… And like you said, it’s time to start moving on! We can’t live in the past forever!” 

“Forgive me, but the death of our 2 year old daughter is something very hard to move on from,” Ethan snapped. Tyler closed his mouth after seeing the pain in his husband’s eyes. 

“I’m… I’m sorry. It is. And it has been. For both of us. But… Ethan, this kid needs a family. He needs love. He probably told you some about the orphanage. He’s miserable there-”

“And so is every other child there, but we can’t adopt them all!”

“I know that. But… If we can just help, and love one. Then that is one more child who has a better life.”

Ethan thought for a moment as he poured the soup into a bowl. 

“He… Did say that he doesn’t get a lot of food there,” Ethan said slowly. Tyler slowly opened the kitchen door so that he and Ethan both could see Bryan, who had his back turned to them. 

“And he’s a really sweet kid,” Tyler added. 

“He is…” Ethan agreed. He pursed his lips. Maybe Tyler was right. Maybe having this child in their life would help them, maybe fill that void in their hearts and bring some joy with him. In the end, he caved in. 

“Alright, fine. We’ll adopt him. But let’s surprise him,” Ethan whispered to Tyler as he shuffled past him out the kitchen door. 

Tyler smiled, for the first time in a while, really smiled. His cheeks hurt, he was smiling so much. He wanted to hug Ethan, but he was already in the dining room. Tyler took a breath, and exited the kitchen, following his husband.


	5. Kathryn Can Bench Press Mark

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> time to get the rest of the team more involved ✌️✌️

#  **May 17th, 2024**

#  **6:09 PM**

“Alright, all your paperwork checks out, are you ready to meet the kids?”

Tyler and Ethan smiled at the woman. “Actually, we already have one in mind.” Tyler scooched up in his seat after his words.

“Oh?”

“Yes, but first, we have a question,” Ethan asked.

“Ask away, gentlemen.”

“Why are there so many kids at this orphanage? It’s a small place. It can’t be good.”

The lady’s face dropped, and she averted her eyes down to her lap. “Ah, yeah, we’re… Very overpopulated. We’ve sent in many reports but haven’t heard back. We aren’t much of a priority to Social Services. The area is small, so they couldn’t care less about us. Which is why we are _so_ happy you two are here!”

“Would it make a difference if more people reported it? Would it get their attention.” Tyler asked.

“I don’t know. Maybe? If you did that, it’d really mean a lot either way.” She looked back up at them. “We love the kids. Every one of them. But we don’t have enough to provide for them. It’s terrible.”

“Sorry to hear that.” Tyler said.

The lady clapped, her face lighting up again. “Anyways! Who’s the little one you had in mind?”

“Bryan.”

The lady looked at her paper, and flipped through her multiple sheets. “Which one?”

“I beg your pardon?” Ethan asked, his eyebrow quirked.

“We have five kids with the name Brian. Is it spelled with an ‘i’ or a ‘y’?”

Ethan and Tyler looked at each other for a moment. _Shit_ , Tyler thought. They had no clue. He tried recalling any instance where Bryan could have shown him how his name was spelled. Then he remembered. He’d glanced at Bryan’s student ID when he first walked him to school!

“Oh! Spelled with a ‘y’.”

“Ah, yeah, that brings it down to two. What does he look like?”

“Around, what, seven years old? Yeah, he said he’s turning seven this year. Short, really curly hair and skin a dark brown shade. I think he also has some freckles, but I’m not sure.”

The lady clicked her pen and marked on one of the pages. “Ah, yes! Bryan Vega. A real sweetheart. Come right this way.”

Immediately after the three began their walk around the orphanage, the woman started rambling. “Bryan was brought here a few months ago after being found with his mother on the beach. They had no home, and slept in a small shelter she clearly built on her own out of nearby plants and the like. She gave him to child protective services without being asked twice.”

“That’s… Horrible.” Tyler said.

“Yes, but she was drug-tested not too long before Bryan was taken here. She had a long history of drug abuse, but loved her son. I think the reason she gave him away so willingly was because she wanted the best for him.”

They passed lots of kids on their way. Some of them were playing with toys, those were the youngest ones, and the older ones were reading or drawing on paper. Only a few of them seemed pleased with their current circumstance. The woman sighed, and Tyler could hear the despondency in her voice as she spoke.

“Really wish I could say the same for the rest of these children.”

Tyler looked at Ethan, whose face conveyed nothing but sympathy for all the children they passed. Tyler grabbed his hand and squeezed it.

“We’ll give Bryan the home he deserves. We promise.”

“And I trust you completely.”

#  **May 17th, 2024**

#  **11:39 PM**

Needless to say, Bryan was excited.

Bryan lit up the moment Tyler and Ethan walked into his room holding hands with the lady who he knew helped with adoptions. He knew what was happening right away. At least, that’s what he told Tyler.

It only took Bryan ten minutes to pack up all his things, and he latched onto Tyler’s free hand as the three made their way to the office to finalize the adoption. Bryan was bouncing happily in the back seat on their way home. It made Tyler so unbelievably happy, his heart was melting.

Bryan ran inside as soon as the car turned off in the driveway, and Ethan raced after him. Tyler, however, took the time to get Bryan’s things and lock the car before heading inside. Tyler placed Bryan’s things on the couch after closing the front door behind him. He heard Bryan’s excited footsteps above him, along with Ethan’s voice, though he couldn’t make out what he was saying. Tyler yelled up the stairs, “What are you guys doing?”

“Showing Bryan his new room!” Ethan yelled down. Tyler remembered the room upstairs that they’d only used to put empty boxes in before they cleared it out after coming to the decision to adopt Bryan. They put a lot of effort into making it _not_ look like it was an abandoned storage closet before now. Tyler could only assume Bryan was too excited to notice the small areas where the couple inevitably missed when dusting. “I got him for now, but can you bring his stuff up here?”

“Coming!” Tyler said, and eyed Bryan’s bags with a sigh. He had brought three suitcases, and Tyler wasn’t looking forward to hauling them up the stairs.

Of course, he did so anyways.

He set the bags down in the room with a thud. Bryan turned and smiled at him, and ran over to thank him. Tyler smiled tiredly, and the three of them spent the next hour or so putting sheets, pillows, and blankets on Bryan’s bed. Well, Tyler and Ethan did his bed while Bryan put stickers on his wall. Once the couple was finished, they were pulled into the sticker work. Ethan helped Bryan place stickers in attractive places on his wall while Tyler was trusted to put the glow-in-the-dark stars on the ceiling, probably because he was six feet tall, and Ethan was short. Shorter than Mark. That’s _short_.

Finally, the stickers ran out, and Tyler climbed down from the stool he used. He wasn’t the tallest, after all. He placed it outside of the room, and turned off the light on his way back in. Bryan climbed into bed, clearly tired. Good, too, because it was well past midnight. Ethan tucked him in under his white comforter, and Bryan snuggled into the blanket. Ethan smoothed over the top of the blanket as Tyler kneeled next to him. Tyler smiled at Bryan, and Ethan leaned over him and kissed his forehead. Bryan smiled sleepily, and looked at the two before drifting off to sleep. He spoke weakly, before closing his eyes finally.

“I’m so happy you two are my dads.”

Tyler could just feel the arrow shoot through his heart. He was so happy to finally have a child again.

#  **May 18th, 2024**

#  **8:32 AM**

Tyler got up earlier that day than usual. Ever since Charlotte passed, he’d sleep in until 1 in the afternoon, and lay in bed all day if he didn’t have work. Ethan was the same. Then Tyler began getting up at 11 in the morning for his jogs around a year ago. Today he got up at 8.

Ethan was woken by Tyler’s getting out of bed, and Tyler was surprised when Ethan wasn’t upset by being up so early, especially considering they had gone to sleep so late the night before. Despite Tyler’s recent efforts to wake up earlier for a better routine, Ethan had still slept until around noon and only got out of bed to make them food and to see Tyler before he had to go to work. Tyler felt good to be a reason for Ethan’s getting out of bed in the sort-of-but-not-really-morning, but he knew he wouldn’t otherwise. Ever since the nursery was rid of a baby in it, Ethan’s usually sporadic energized personality seemed to shut down and didn’t return. To this day, Tyler can tell that who Ethan used to be still hasn’t come back.

Either way, Ethan seemed to be _happy_ to have been woken up by Tyler. He sprung right out of bed and had the biggest tired smile Tyler had seen in a long, _long_ time. “Good morning, my wonderful husband.”

Tyler stared at him. “You’re unnaturally happy to be up so early.”

“I have things to do! I have a son to take care of! I need to make him breakfast!” Ethan gasped. “I need to get ready!”

“Wait for me.” The stray from the usual solo routine made Tyler a bit confused, but he loved having Ethan be the happiest he’s been in a while. He loved it more than he could have expected. He stood near Ethan with his hand gently placed on his husband’s hip while he brushed his teeth and Ethan wiped his face with an acne wipe. They showered together for the first time in an eternal forever, which was nice. They picked out casual wear together. Tyler had accepted that Bryan had brought a spring back into Ethan’s step, and he was more than glad.

After they’d left the bathroom and both were ready for the day, Tyler had spun Ethan around and smothered his face in kisses. Ethan was smiling and giggled while cupping Tyler’s face. “No!! I have to go make breakfast!!”

“This is the first time in a while that you’ve been looking forward to something. I just want you to know how much I wuv you.”

Ethan pushed Tyler off of him with a large grin. “I wuv _you._ ”

“No, you more.”

“Fuck you. I love you more.”

They went back and forth like this, arguing sappily over how much they loved each other, that by the time they finally stopped and went downstairs, it was 10 in the morning. Ethan immediately got to work with breakfast.

Bryan awoke a little while later, and was overwhelmed with the scent of something delicious. He sat up in bed, rubbing his eyes before he leaned back and allowed himself to look around his room. _His_ room. The fact that it was _his_ and _his_ alone made him smile. The smell coming from down stairs was beginning to make his mouth water, and with his stomach grumbling, he climbed out of bed and went down stairs.

He skipped the last step, making a loud _thud_ sound when he jumped to the floor. He saw Tyler reading something on his phone while sat at the dinner table, and Tyler looked up at the sound of little feet hitting the floor. “Good morning, Bryan.”

“Hi, Tyler!!”

Tyler almost asked him to call him _dad_ or something, but decided to let Bryan adjust first. “Ethan’s making breakfast.”

Ethan called from the kitchen. “It’s almost done!! Tyler, my love, could you set the table for the _three_ of us?”

Tyler’s heart leaped when Ethan put the emphasis on ‘three.’ Maybe Tyler needed to adjust, too.

“Certainly.”

Bryan sat at one of the four chairs at the dining table, Tyler pushing it in for him after he got up. Bryan swung his short legs under the table, and Tyler smiled. _His legs don’t even touch the ground???? That’s so cute????_

Tyler grabbed a few plates and some silverware from the cabinets, and caught a glance of breakfast. Grits, eggs, and bacon. It looked amazing. He also looked at Ethan, and made a remark.

“Looking great, babe.”

“Thank you! Do you want cheese with it or…?”

“I wasn’t talking about the food, but yes please.”

“Oh my _god_.”

Ethan took a moment to pinch the bridge of his nose. Tyler laughed, entering the dining room. He placed a plate and fork in front of all but one chair. Bryan grabbed his fork and started gently tapping it on the table.

“Food. Food. Food.”

Tyler sat down next to him, and starting doing the same. They chanted together as Ethan brought the pot of grits in the dining room.

“Food. Food. Food.”

“It’s coming, just _give me a second._ ”

Ethan rushed to bring in the eggs and bacon after setting down the grits. Tyler and Bryan kept chanting. Ethan sat down and clapped his hands together.

“There! Are you happy?”

 _“Very.”_ Bryan said, immediately picking up his fork and shoveling food onto his plate. Tyler and Ethan glanced at each other across the table and smiled. Almost right after he was done taking food, Bryan began eating. After his second bite of eggs, though, he froze, and turned to Ethan. “You guys don’t say grace, do you? Sorry, I got excited.”

Ethan waved his hand dismissively. “Nah, we don’t do that. Keep going, man.”

About halfway through breakfast, Tyler pulled his phone back out.

**Group chat: Kathryn can bench press Mark**

**Members: sword lesbain, chica’s #1, giggly bitch, stone face Scheid, fucklstr**

**10:52 A.M.**

**giggly bitch** (Mark Fischbach) **said:**

LISTEN I’m just saying that Amy and I shou;ld share custody of Chica

 **chica’s #1** (Amy Nelson) **said:**

no she loves me most

 **giggly bitch** (Mark Fischbach) **said:**

>:(

 **chica’s #1** (Amy Nelson) **said:**

PLUS u have Marcus i have NOTHING

 **sword lesbain** (Kathryn Knutsen) **said:**

fuckin OUCH amy

 **chica’s #1** (Amy Nelson) **said:**

Kathryn u are my roommate that doesn’t mean the same thing as child

 **giggly bitch** (Mark Fischbach) **said:**

Chica might love you more but she misses me

Don’t deprive her of seeing her favorite man

 **sword lesbain** (Kathryn Knutsen) **said:**

ew wtf

 **giggly bitch** (Mark Fischbach) **said:**

kbjklbknjbmgvkbj Kathryn don’t make it dirty

 **stone face Scheid** (Tyler Scheid) **said:**

Hey guys.

 **giggly bitch** (Mark Fischbach) **said:**

Shit look who’s up early

 **fucklstr** (Ethan Scheid) **said:**

TYLER get off ur fufkcing fphone and eat

 **sword lesbain** (Kathryn Knutsen) **said:**

oh they’re both awake

 **chica’s #1** (Amy Nelson) **said:**

why are you guys awak this is so weird uhhh

 **fucklstr** (Ethan Scheid) **said:**

wel; we’re SUPPPSED to be eating breakfast as a fuckign family but Tyuler’s on his phone

 **sword lesbain** (Kathryn Knutsen) **said:**

why ddi u say family it’s just u two

 **chica’s #1** (Amy Nelson) **said:**

KATHRYN

 **sword lesbain** (Kathryn Knutsen) **said:**

what

 **giggly bitch** (Mark Fischbach) **said:**

omfg Kathryn

 **sword lesbain** (Kathryn Knutsen) **said:**

what????

 **stone face Scheid** (Tyler Scheid) **said:**

Oh, yeah, we forgot to tell you guys, didn’t we?

 **fucklstr** (Ethan Scheid) **said:**

oofuck

 **giggly bitch** (Mark Fischbach) **said:**

omg tell us whAT

 **stone face Scheid** (Tyler Scheid) **said:**

We adopted a little boy from the orphanage down the street yesterday. His name is Bryan, and he is seven years old.

 **chica’s #1** (Amy Nelson) **said:**

OMFGHYJK WHAT

 **sword lesbain** (Kathryn Knutsen) **said:**

WHAT OMGG FR

 **giggly bitch** (Mark Fischabach) **said:**

holY FUCK WHYDIDNT YoU SAY SOONER??

 **chica’s #1** (Amy Nelson) **said:**

ur fuckign withth me

 **fucklstr** (Ethan Scheid) **said:**

do u want fuckin PROOF of our ball of JOY

 **chica’s #1** (Amy Nelson) **said:**

yes i need evidence

Ethan held up his phone after opening his camera. He got Tyler and Bryan in the shot and said, “Say cheese!!”

Bryan looked up and shot a toothy grin at the camera, grits held up to his mouth. Tyler gave the camera a calm smile. God, Ethan loved his family.

**Group chat: Kathryn can bench press Mark**

**Members: sword lesbain, chica’s #1, giggly bitch, stone face Scheid, fucklstr**

**10:59 A.M.**

**fucklstr sent a photo.**

**sword lesbain** (Kathryn Knutsen) **said:**

HHOLY FUCK HE”S SO CUTE

 **chica’s #1** (Amy Nelson) **said:**

AW OMG IM SORRY I DOUBTED U

 **giggly bitch** (Mark Fischbach) **said:**

I’m WEEPING I can’t believe I have a nephhew

 **chica’s #1** (Amy Nelson) **said:**

GUYS OMG WE NEED TO COME OVER AND MEET HIM

 **sword lesbain** (Kathryn Knutsen) **said:**

GASP cAN WE

 **stone face Scheid** (Tyler Scheid) **said:**

Of course, but how about at noon or something? He’s still adjusting.

 **sword lesbain** (Kathryn Knutsen) **said:**

amy’s sobbing in her room i can hear her

 **chica’s #1** (Amy Nelson) **said:**

NO IM NOT STFYU KAT

 **giggly bitch** (Mark Fischbach) **said:**

dw Amy I’m cyrying too

 **fucklstr** (Ethan Scheid) **said:**

omfg i can’t w yu guys


	6. Papa

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mark uploaded a video with Ethan and Tyler for the first time in 75 years
> 
> we are blessed on this day
> 
> i missed them

#  **May 18th, 2024**

#  **1:03 PM**

They rang the doorbell five times a second. For thirty seconds.

Ethan almost dropped his phone on his face when the sound rang throughout the house. He sat up immediately. Bryan, who had been reading while sitting on the floor, perked up and looked at his dad.

“Who’s that?”

Ethan remembered and shook his head. The doorbell was still being rung, but faster. Tyler came down the stairs and took his time to make it to the door. “Just some friends, Bryan. They came to meet you. I hope you don’t mind.”

Bryan smiled wide and jumped to his feet. “Friends?”

Tyler nodded and opened the door. There stood Mark, Amy, Kathryn, and Chica on a leash. Mark was still mashing the doorbell with his fist.

“Mark.”

Mark stared at him and stopped. “Hey, Ty.”

As soon as Chica caught sight of Tyler, she dashed towards him, dragging Amy behind her on her leash. Tyler was almost knocked over by the dog, Chica jumping up to lick his face.

“Hi, Chica! Hello!! I missed you too, puppo!”

Mark ran through the doorway and looked around frantically. “Where is he????”

He spotted Bryan in the living room and straightened his posture. Amy and Kathryn looked over his shoulder and Amy gasped. It was silent for a moment.

Bryan blinked. “Hello. Tyler said you guys came to meet me?”

Chica’s head snapped toward Bryan, and she almost dashed toward him, but Amy held onto her leash, allowing Mark and Kathryn to make their way to him first.

“That’s true!” Kathryn said, getting down onto her knees so she was eye-level with the child. “I’m Kathryn.”

Mark waved from over Kathryn’s shoulder. “I’m Mark. The dog is Chica.”

“Chica? That’s such a cute name!! Who’s the other lady?”

“That’s Amy!” Mark said. “She’s probably Chica’s favorite out of all of us, but WE SHOULD REALLY SHARE CUSTODY OF HER.” He tilted his head toward Amy while raising his voice for those last words.

“Can I pet Chica? I love dogs!”

“Of course! Have at it!” Amy said, basically letting go of the leash and letting Chica dash towards Bryan. She tackled him to the ground, gently licking his face and he giggled while petting her soft fur. Ethan yelped.

“AMY! WHY DID YOU LET CHICA GO LIKE THAT?!”

“He’s fine. Don’t worry.” Mark dismissed him.

Ethan stared at him for a second before composing himself with his arms crossed over his chest. His shoulders were tight as he watched the scene play out before him.

Once Chica calmed herself down, Amy strode over and planted promptly on her knees in front of Bryan, who looked at her expectantly.

“Your name is Bryan, right? Ugh, you’re adorable. I love you already. What do you like to do? Like, as a hobby or whatever?”

“Uh,” Bryan pondered for a moment. “I like to read, mostly, but watching older cartoons is also fun.”

“Ooh,” Amy said. “What cartoons do you like?”

“My current favorite is Adventure Time!”

Mark blinked. “Adventure Time is considered an older cartoon now?”

“Guess so,” Kathryn muttered to him.

“Damn, we’re getting  _ old _ .”

“We’re already old, dude.”

“Thanks I feel worse.”

Amy waved her hand at the two, clearly wishing for them to knock off…  _ Whatever _ they were doing wrong. Tyler couldn’t place what was irritating her. Amy turned back to Bryan.

“We have  _ so _ much to talk about, Bryan. I can’t wait to learn  _ all _ about you!!” She smiled brightly, and Tyler saw Ethan’s shoulders loosen. Despite how chaotic the event may have started, Amy always manages to lighten the mood.

“Wait,” Ethan said, uncrossing his arms. “How long do you guys plan on staying here today?”

“As long as we must!” Mark said. “This child comes into our good family, without warning. We must know if we can trust him.”

“He’s  _ six _ , Mark.”

“It’s the little ones you need to keep an eye on, Ty.”

Ethan laughed. Despite the ridiculousness that was spewing from Mark’s mouth, Ethan’s laugh is what caught Tyler’s attention above all else. It was genuine. Probably the most genuinely happy thing he’s felt from Ethan in a long time.

Tyler smiled something small and hardly noticeable. The two of them seemed to be getting better every day with Bryan.

#  **May 20th, 2024**

#  **3:19 PM**

They ended up staying for the next two days without leaving. Tyler honestly didn’t know what else he could’ve expected.

Bryan got along well with all four of them, though it was evident that he enjoyed spending time with Chica the most. Mark was a close second. He gave Bryan piggyback rides that were moderately safe at first but then slowly progressed to include parkour and a lot of running. Needless to say, Ethan and Tyler got very stressed out when the piggyback rides ensued.

Finally, the group decided that their visit was over. Sort of a relief, not because Tyler and Ethan didn’t enjoy Mark, Amy, and Kathryn’s presence, but more because they were anxious about making Mark sleep on the floor while Amy and Kathryn shared the couch. They didn’t exactly have anywhere else for them.

Chica sat patiently as Amy attached her leash. Kathryn held both hers and Amy’s bags for them, and Mark slang his bag over his shoulder and had his sunglasses slid onto his face. He was ready to go, anyone could tell.

“Alright,” Amy said, grabbing her bag from Kathryn with Chica’s leash around her wrist. “Ready to go.”

“Coolio,” Kathryn said. “Bye, guys! See you around.”

Bryan waved goodbye, and the two girls went out the door and towards their car. They drove there separately from Mark, who was now kneeling down in front of Bryan.

“It was super cool getting to know you, Bryan. We  _ have _ to vacation together sometime. How does that sound?”

Bryan smiled. “Sounds awesome, Mark.”

Mark smiled at him and then got up, twirling around and walking out the door.

“Later, sluts!”

Tyler squinted at him and shut the door behind him. He turned to his son, whom of which he hasn’t had the chance to talk to about school without Mark or Amy butting in mid-conversation.

“How was school today, Bryan?”

“Better than normal! I was looking forward to coming home, so I was happy all day! The kids left me alone for some reason, which was super awesome! I read a lot!”

“Wow. That’s good. Did you learn anything in class?” Ethan said.

“Mm, not really. She tried teaching us words I already knew how to read.”

“Oh, so was it like a review day or something? Going over something you had already learned in class?”

“No, this was the first time we read those words in class. I just read a lot, so I figured out how to say them sooner.”

“Damn,” Ethan said. “We got a smart kindergartener.”

“You’re a pretty gifted kid, Bryan.”

“The adults at school say that about me too! Makes me feel really smart!”

“I’m glad! You deserve all the praise for your intelligence!” Tyler said, smiling. He didn’t notice Ethan look at him and smile endearingly.

“Thank you, Tyler!!”

Tyler blinked. “You can always call me ‘dad,’ you know.”

“Do I have to?”

“No! No… You don’t  _ have _ to do anything you don’t want to. I just wanted you to know that you don’t have to refer to me so formally. You’re my son now.”

“If I called you ‘dad,’ what would I call Ethan?”

“I dunno.” Tyler turned to look at Ethan, who shrugged. “How about… Papa?”

Tyler instantly regret saying that. Charlotte used to call both of them  _ papa _ . He saw a flicker of shock flash over Ethan’s face.

“Hmm,” Bryan said, drawing the attention of the couple. “I think  _ you _ fit ‘papa’ better.” He pointed to Tyler. “You’re ‘papa,’ Ethan is ‘dad.’”

Tyler took a deep breath. “Cool,” he said. “Good. Cool. No doubt. Glad we sorted that out.”

“Ty…”

“It’s fine, Ethan. I’m good.”

Bryan stared at the two of them quizzically. “Did I do something wrong?”

Tyler looked at him. “No! Don’t worry, Bryan. You didn’t do anything bad. I’m just gonna need to get used to being called… ‘papa.’”

“Oh. Okay. Are you sure?”

“Yeah, don’t worry about it, bud.”

Bryan was quiet for a moment, before shuffling over to the couch and picking up one of his books from the end table. He read in silence, and Ethan gently gestured for Tyler to follow him. And he did.

The two went up to their room, Ethan softly shutting the door behind them. He turned to Tyler, his arms crossed and his face soft with sympathy.

“Are you sure you’re okay, Ty? I know Charlotte used to call you ‘Papa’… Are you gonna be able to handle it when Bryan starts referring to you like that?”

Tyler sighed, sitting on the bed. “It shouldn’t be such a big deal. It really  _ shouldn’t _ . It’s just a word. A word that a lot of people use. I don’t know why it makes me shut down as it did just now. It’s been two years, I should be over it.”

“Well, clearly, neither of us are.” Ethan unfolded his arms and slowly made his way next to Tyler on the bed. “It’s okay to not be okay, Ty. Charlotte was one of the most important things to both of us. Losing her… It’s something that we’ll never  _ really _ get over, but we’re going to get to the point where it doesn’t hurt as much anymore. She called you ‘Papa,’ and it’s okay for that to take a toll on you after what happened. Grief is… Complex. It’s different for all of us. I just don’t want you to feel like you’re going through it alone.”

Ethan cupped Tyler’s face and made him face him. Then, he lowered his hand and grabbed Tyler’s. Tyler stared at Ethan for a little, his facial expression broken and unresponsive. After a moment of quiet, he shut his eyes and rested his forehead on Ethan’s shoulder. Ethan felt his shirt get a little wet.

Tyler opened and closed his mouth a few times as the couple sat there, trying to think of something to say. He realized, though, that no words could satisfy what he wanted Ethan to know at that moment, so they sat together in silence, Tyler inaudibly sobbing on Ethan’s shoulder, and Ethan rubbing circles on Tyler’s hand with his thumb. Neither of them talked. Who knows how long they sat there? Neither of them really cared. So, they stayed there, taking as long as they needed.

This. This was enough for now.


	7. Bryan's Favorite Holiday

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> merry (late) Christmas yall <3
> 
> if u don't celebrate Christmas, happy holidays!!! <333

#  **December 18th, 2027**

#  **10:28 AM**

Bryan hopped around the front of the store, excited and impatient. Tyler and Ethan were taking  _ forever _ to get out of the car, and it was  _ killing _ him. They knew how much Bryan loved Christmas shopping, and the boy was even more ready since he got out of school for winter break yesterday. Ethan was buttoning up his jacket, closing the passenger car door he exited from. Tyler was still sat in the driver’s seat, door closed, on his phone. Ethan walked around the front of the parked car and tapped on the window, catching his husband’s attention with a smile. Tyler put away his phone and got out of the car, apologizing to Ethan quietly with a small grin. Ethan pecked him on the cheek and tugged his hand, leading him across the street.

It was colder in L.A. than what it is usually in winter, and Bryan loved it. Sure, he wished there was snow, but seeing his breath and needing a big, warm coat was enough for him. He loved the cold in general. Maybe it was because his earliest childhood memories were spent with his mom on a hot beach outside of Los Angeles. He always had a distaste for hot weather. Maybe it was because there were so many poor memories on that beach.

The family trio walked into the store, and Bryan didn’t know where he wanted to begin shopping. Tyler got a grocery cart and Ethan began pondering.

“Okay, we should buy some decorations first. I think that section’s this way.”

“What happened to the decorations we used last year? And the year before that? And literally every year at Christmas pretty much since we’ve been living together?” Tyler asked, raising his eyebrow as they walked. “They weren’t in the attic.”

“Probably because I tossed them out,” Ethan said, looking around the store.

“What? Why?”

“Let’s see… The tree lights were all blown, the tinsel was barren, and the star was missing an arm.”

“I’m still really concerned you call those ‘arms’.”

“What else are they supposed to be called?”

“I’m happy we’re getting new decorations!” Bryan said. “I’ll be able to add my own touch to what we use to decorate for Christmas every year!”

“Bryan, you know we have an entire bucket filled with little ornaments you made from your first Christmas with us. We use  _ those  _ every year.” Tyler said, turning to his son.

“Those are messy and made out of paper and I hate them.”

“You didn’t make them that long ago,” Ethan replied.

“That’s the saddest part, I think.”

“Dang. For someone who just turned ten, you’re really sarcastic.” Tyler said with a grin. Bryan snickered in response, resting a hand on the cart as he walked next to his dads.

They made their way to the Christmas decorations, and Bryan really went to town with his choices. He picked out about twelve strings of Christmas lights, seven different kinds of tinsel, and even persuaded Tyler and Ethan to buy a few light-up figures for the front yard. They got some deer that are pulling Santa’s sleigh, and a snowman that looked like the one briefly seen in  _ Polar Express _ . In the end, Ethan and Tyler made sure Bryan only put one star in the cart.

“Okay, now that we have decorations again,” Tyler said, leaning on the handle of the cart. “Where to next? Do you need any Winter clothes, Bryan?”

“I think my clothes are getting a little small now.”

“Okay, cool, we’ll just get you some clothes while we’re here.”

The boys’ section was on the other side of the store, though, and Bryan kept getting distracted by aisles they passed. Books, toys, and he managed to sneak away to look at the card aisle for a few minutes while Tyler and Ethan stopped to look at other things that didn’t interest the ten-year-old. He liked opening the cards with sound, and the ones with awful jokes.

He found his way to the Christmas section of the cards and decided to start with the cards farthest up he could reach. He quickly read through the cards, clearly enjoying himself. He made his way down the Christmas section, to the bottom shelf. He squatted down, scanning over what could interest him. He gently grabbed one, examining it slowly. Just as he was opening it, he heard someone talking to him.

“Hi. Are you Bryan?”

Bryan lifted his head and saw another little boy squatting a few feet away next to him. His hair was jet black and combed up, his skin a warm peach color. Bryan recognized him as his classmate Shawn.

“Yeah! Hi, Shawn.”

Shawn grinned. “Looking at cards, too?”

Bryan looked at the card in his hand, then back at Shawn. “Yeah, I guess.”

“Who are you buying them for?”

“Oh, nobody. I just like looking at them. Are you buying cards for someone?”

“Yeah, my grandparents. But I hear you, cards are funny.”

Bryan cracked a smile, exhaling a silent laugh. Shawn did the same, and the two young boys sat there for a short while. Shawn looked back down at the cards, but Bryan couldn’t look away from him. The smile crept off his face as he got lost in his thoughts.

He snapped back to reality when he heard someone  _ other _ than Shawn call his name. He blinked, surprised and a little embarrassed, quickly slipping the card in his hand back to where it came from, and stood, whipping his head around to the voice. Ethan and Tyler were looking at him expectantly, clearly ready to move on to the boys’ clothing section to finish their shopping. Bryan looked back at Shawn, who waved with a smile. Shawn got up, turned around, and walked to a woman down the aisle, tossing a card and envelope into her cart. She nodded to him, and the two began to leave the aisle. Bryan watched, silent, his face a bit curious. Before Shawn turned the corner and was out of sight, he twisted his head to shoot Bryan one last glance.

“Bryan, buddy, you ready?” Tyler called.

Bryan was quiet for a moment, still staring at where Shawn had disappeared. “...Yeah.”

Bryan didn’t realize before now how much he liked Shawn. And in a different way than he was expecting.

He didn’t give himself much time to ponder that thought, though, as he hurriedly chased after Tyler and Ethan towards the boys’ clothing section.

#  **December 19th, 2027**

#  **8:49 PM**

Tyler slid into the driver’s seat, closing the door behind him. Ethan was on his phone in the passenger’s seat, and Bryan was sat in the back in his new fluffy coat.

“Alright, the tree’s secure on the car, let’s go home and decorate it!”

“Yes!!” Bryan yelled excitedly. “We’re gonna decorate the heck out of this bitch!”

Tyler looked at Bryan in the dashboard mirror. “Excuse me?”

“I heard Dad saying that to himself while you were putting the tree on the roof of the car!”

Tyler glared at Ethan, who stared back as if he didn’t know what was happening, but Tyler knew that son of a bitch had a  _ clear _ idea of what he just made Bryan say.

“We’ll talk about this later, Ethan, but Bryan, don’t try quoting Dad. He says a lot of bullshit that isn’t appropriate for someone your age.”

“You  _ literally _ just said bu--”

“I know what I said,”  Tyler cut Ethan off. He turned to Bryan. “You know what words to avoid, right?’

“I guess? But why can Dad say them if I can’t? Why can  _ you _ say them if I can’t?”

Tyler looked at him. “Good point. From here on out, we have a swear jar. Every time someone cusses, they put one dollar in the swear jar.”

“Oh, come on, Ty!” Ethan said. “You know that’s gonna be impossible for me!”

“Where would the money go?” Bryan asked.

“Towards your college fund.’

“What’s a college fund?”

“He’s ten, Ty. This is B.S.” Ethan said. Tyler side-eyed him as he put the car into drive mode.

“You’re on thin fucking ice, Ethan.”

Ethan looked at Tyler, evidently trying to hold back a smile, but not succeeding well. Tyler’s face went blank.

“Wait.”

Ethan laughed and slouched in his seat comfortably while Bryan was looking between the two of them, still puzzled, but not asking any questions. Tyler smiled a little to himself.  _ That’s one for the swear jar. _

Honestly, he wasn’t expecting to be the first contributor, but that’s fine.

It didn’t take long before they pulled into their own driveway, Tyler being left with the responsibility to carry the tree in while Ethan took Bryan inside to help set out the ornaments. 

“Here, in this corner,” Bryan said excitedly as he pointed, and Tyler chuckled as he carried the tree and placed it gently in the corner Bryan had chosen. 

“Alright, you two start lighting this bad boy. I’m going to go wash my hands real quick,” Tyler said as he left the room. Ethan and Bryan quickly got to work, stringing lights around the tree, and once Tyler had returned, he helped them as well. Soon, the lighting portion was over, and the trio set to work adding decorations.

Ethan had noticed during this time that Bryan had been very quiet. At times he was smiling and happy, but at certain points when Ethan glanced over at his son, he noticed that the child looked deep in thought, his brow slightly furrowed. Tyler shot a look at his husband, and the two locked eyes for a moment, acknowledging that both knew of their son’s strange behavior. Ethan’s eyes darted towards Bryan before he jerked his head in his direction. Tyler mouthed back, “Why me?” before Ethan did it again, and Tyler sighed as he nodded. 

“Hey Bryan, you okay buddy?” Tyler asked. Bryan blinked once or twice before he turned to look at him, and the smile he flashed both could tell was forced. 

“Oh yeah, I’m fine. Just tired I guess,” he answered as he continued to string ornaments up on the tree. Ethan and Tyler shared another look before Ethan continued to persist. 

“Yeah? Well, is there anything else you’d like to talk to us about?” Ethan asked, and Bryan was quite for a few moments. Tyler and Ethan stopped decorating and waited quietly for Bryan to answer them.

“Do… Do you remember that boy I was talking to yesterday? In the store?” Bryan asked quietly after a moment. 

“Yeah… Why? Has he bullied you?” Ethan asked, already panicking. 

“No! No, we’re… Friends, kind of. It’s just…” Bryan trailed off and got quiet again. 

“Just…?” Tyler asked. Bryan sighed. 

“I have… Weird feelings for him,” Bryan said sheepishly. Both of his fathers went quiet now as they shared another look. 

“Feelings?” Ethan asked. 

“Yeah… Like… I don’t know how to explain it. I get really happy and excited when I’m around him, but I also feel really nervous… And I just can’t help but wonder… Is that how most boys my age feel about girls?” 

Ethan placed an ornament on one of the tree branches and looked at his son. “Is this the first boy you’ve liked like this?”

“I actually… Don’t think so. There were some boys who were nice to me over the years and I liked them like this, but it wasn’t this strong and I didn’t care much about it. Is this… Love?”

“Well, bud,” Tyler said. “You’re young. It’s a little early to be calling something like this ‘love.’ You probably just have a crush. And that’s okay.”

“All the other boys I know like girls, though? And this makes me feel weird and… I don’t know, different? I’ve never felt like this about a girl.”

“I know how you feel, Bryan. When I was your age, liking boys and not liking girls was something that I was told was disgusting and sinful. It’s hard, I know. But, look now. I have a husband and an adorable son, both of whom I love more than anything. Even if things seem weird right now, they won’t be later, okay? Do you trust me?”

Bryan looked at him, then looked at Ethan. He glanced down at his lap. “Yeah. I trust you.”

Ethan smiled warmly, and so did Tyler, pulling Bryan in and rubbing his shoulder before standing up. “Anyways, time to bust out the new star. Where did you put it, Eth?”

“Oh, uh, in this box over here.” Ethan pulled their new star out of an old cardboard box that they usually used to store Christmas decorations. He handed it to Bryan, who took it, still sitting down. Tyler crouched in front of the couch, allowing Bryan to wrap his arms around his neck, still holding the star. Tyler stood up, and walked over to the tree.

“Whenever you’re ready, bud.”

Bryan looked at the star in his hands, and at the tree. He looked around the living room. It was dark outside, and the fireplace was lit. Ethan was wearing a red Christmas jumper and Tyler was wearing a green one.  _ The Santa Clause 2 _ was playing on the TV, and some glitter from the ornaments was scattered around the floor. He looked back to the star, and leaned forward, arms reached out, placing the star on the tallest branch of the tree. He leaned back again, and placed his hands gently on Tyler’s head.

He stared at the star, his face blank except for his furrowed brows. He looked down at his hands, and he didn’t hear Ethan and Tyler cheer for him.

Tyler was right. Things  _ were _ weird.

The only time Bryan had ever felt he was in a stranger situation was when he was taken away from his mom, and had to get used to living in a run-down orphanage with nobody to hug him at night.

What Bryan never told Tyler or Ethan was that he  _ did _ know the things his mom had done wrong, he lived the first five years of his life learning the things she did to handle living in a tent on a beach and raising a little boy alone. He was only ten, and already life for him was a maze he couldn’t get out of no matter what. New things always show up.

And even though liking boys felt right, he could also feel something else was off.

Something he isn’t sure he’s as familiar with.


	8. Maine

#  **December 21st, 2016**

#  **10:23 AM**

Tyler remembers this trip clear as day. This was the year Ethan brought Tyler to Maine for Christmas to meet his family for the first time. Something about Bryan’s recent revelation in his orientation brought the memory up from Tyler’s mind vault, and even though he remembers everything that happened, Tyler can’t help but feel like the distant events were nothing more than a fever dream. But they happened, and were real. Very real.

They arrived there, driving across the country, on the twelfth, and were to leave the day after Christmas. For the first half of the two-week trip, Tyler thought it was going pretty well. Ethan’s parents loved him, and his little cousins all the same.

Tyler loved the children around him, always tugging on his arms and asking him questions about Los Angeles and if he’d ever met anyone famous. Tyler lead them in amazement when he told them a collection of stories from when he was younger, growing up with YouTube sensation Markiplier himself. Tyler thought it funny that these kids adored a YouTube celebrity like Mark as much as they did. Ethan watched storytime from the doorway behind the kids, looking on with pure bliss that Tyler and his family was getting along a lot better than he’d thought.

Ethan’s grandmother came to stay for Christmas about four days before, on the twenty-first. Tyler had heard many wonderful things about the woman from his boyfriend, but he still was not ready for how sweet of a person she was. She was excited, said she recognized Tyler from some of Mark’s videos. She asked Tyler everything she could think of about him, and Tyler answered with hardly any hesitation. Ethan’s grandmother was as wonderful and charming as Ethan talked her up to be, and for that, Tyler was relieved. It was only when Ethan’s Aunt Gia and Uncle Zane arrived that tension began to rise in the air.

The old couple had arrived five days before Christmas, and Ethan was more than delighted to see them. He’d given them hugs, and caught up with them for an hour outside of the house while Tyler watched from the window near the front door. Tyler, having already been made comfortable around Ethan’s family, was eager to meet more people in this family that never seemed to stop giving love. When they finally came inside, Ethan instantly grabbed Tyler’s wrist and stood beside him, catching the attention of Gia and Zane.

“Aunt Gia, Uncle Zane, this is Tyler, my boyfriend!”

Tyler held out a friendly hand. “It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

There was a moment of still in the air, and Tyler’s gut began to drop. Zane reluctantly shook Tyler’s hand finally, to the latter’s relief. Gia was looking at him strange, and it made him unsettled.

“How long have you been dating?” Gia turned her attention back to Ethan, not even acknowledging the man next to her nephew anymore.

“A little over two years!” Ethan said, the purest grin on his face. Tyler looked over at his boyfriend, and his gut and his heart were conflicting. His heart was telling him to be comfortable, Ethan loves these people, a simple awkward introduction shouldn’t put off the whole thing. His gut, however, was telling him to be cautious, that something was being hidden from Ethan by his aunt and uncle. The thought make Tyler’s heart ache. He decided to ignore it for now.

The next day, Ethan’s mom decided that they needed to get out of the house. “Go help your father at the shop!” she told Ethan. “Bring Tyler with you. It’ll do you good to get out of the house and help your father unload a new shipment of product!”

“But… Why?” was Ethan’s only question.

“Because! You two are young and spry! He’s old and tired!” she replied. “No delaying. Gia and Zane are already down there, helping him too. Before you retaliate, they’re just as old as your father. Shoo!”

She gestured them out the door, and Tyler didn’t protest. Ethan put up a little fight, but either way, the two boys ended up driving across town to a corner store apparently owned and run by Ethan’s dad.

The two were quick to be put to work, unloading boxes from trucks. Tyler handled the heavier ones, but Ethan had to help with some that were immovable by one man. Gia and Zane were responsible for taking the boxes inside and unloading the products in the back while other store employees restocked the shelves. After what felt like hours in the blazing Maine sun doing manual labor, Ethan’s dad gave them time to take a break and get back to work in an hour. The two boys thanked him, and went inside.

It was cooler inside the little shop, and Tyler couldn’t help but feel pleased, being in a small air-conditioned store when it was hot outside. Maybe the aesthetic was getting to him.

Ethan approached a nearby shelf and grabbed a mini bag of Doritos off of it. He turned to Tyler, holding them up. “Want some chips?”

“Can you take stuff without paying?”

“No, but we just have to make sure nobody catches us.”

Ethan tossed the bag to Tyler, and sprinted down an aisle across the small store, disappearing from Tyler’s vision behind the racks. Tyler instinctively began to run after Ethan, trying to find his boyfriend. As expected, seeing as the store was small with about five aisles, he found Ethan in no time, crouching behind a stack of banana crates near the back of the store. Tyler quietly came up and crouched down next to him.

“What are you up to?” he started to ask, but Ethan quickly looked at him and held his finger to his lips, shushing him, before turning back.

Normally Tyler would’ve found the whole set up humourous, or at least childish. He might’ve even played along if it weren’t for his pride. Except, this time? This wasn’t one of Ethan’s naive games. Just from the look on Ethan’s face Tyler knew something was wrong. His eyebrows were furrowed, eyes were terrified, bottom lip tucked between his top teeth.

“Hey,” Tyler began, placing a hand on Ethan’s shoulder. “What’s wrong--”

Ethan forced his palms against Tyler’s mouth, shutting him up immediately. Tyler struggled against the skin, even tempted to lick the palm.

And then, Tyler heard it.

It was Zane and Gia, standing only a few feet to their right. The two boys couldn’t see the couple, but they could hear them. And that, that right there, that was what terrified Ethan so much.

“--I don’t know what to do, Gia. I mean, I want to love him, I really do. And I still do. It’s just hard when he,” Zanepaused, as if searching for the right word. “When he’s--”

“A homosexual?” Gia replied.

Tyler gasped into Ethan’s fingers, his heart suddenly beating a million miles a minute. This is what had sent Ethan into a frenzy, a terrified, fearful, irrational frenzy. This is what had sent Ethan to hide behind a banana rack from his own aunt and uncle, too afraid to move from his spot, and too curious to move away.

“Yes, a homosexual. He likes men, Gia! I don’t understand why, and sometimes I lay awake at night thinking about it…” Zane continued.

“I know, sweetie,” Tyler heard Gia reply. “I know it doesn’t help that he brought his boyfriend home for Christmas. It’s one of those rebellious phases we have to get through, you know?”

“I don’t know what to do, Gia! I mean, I love Ethan. He’s our nephew. I helped raised him and I’ll never let him go. Which makes this all the more harder, because I wish he’d just stop this bullshit already. But he won’t. You know he’s been adamant about it since he was sixteen, right?”

“Oh, lord--”

“And he hasn’t grown out of it!”

Those sentences made Tyler realize just how much angrier every word was making him.

“I’m sorry, Zane. It’s terrible, I know. What did he say he was? A bisexual?”

Zane’s voice stuttered for a moment. “Y-Yeah. Which, in the beginning I thought would make it better. It means he likes both males and females. But now--”

Tyler wrenched Ethan’s hand from his mouth. He wasn’t sure what he was doing, but everything told him to do it. Because Ethan needed to get out. He wasn’t meant to hear this, listening in on something so painful was only going to hurt him.

“Stop--” Tyler whispered harshly, reaching out to turn Ethan’s face towards him. He let his fingers linger at Ethan’s jaw, trailing the skin with his fingers. The two of their eyes locked, and Tyler could see a red ring from under Ethan’s eyelids.

_ Please don’t cry, _ Tyler mentally urged, feeling a knot form in his chest. _ Please, please God, don’t cry. I don’t want you to cry. _

“We need to get out of here.”

Ethan shook his head violently. “No.” He wrenched his head from Tyler’s grasp, turning his head towards the voices again.

The voice continued on as if they’d never stopped, and Tyler wanted more than anything, anything in the goddamn world, to save Ethan from this.

It was one thing to know subconsciously that someone disapproved, that they hated something unique to you, something that added to the specific pieces of your very own puzzle. But to hear the person verbally declare it? To only confirm what you only thought might be the case? That painful, awful, heart wrenching feeling, that right there was what made people like Ethan hate themselves.

Something Ethan said to Tyler when opening up to him for the first time was screaming, echoing, vibrating across Tyler’s eardrums.

_ “My aunt and uncle have a bisexual nephew, and sometimes they fight with my parents because their son is a twink, because he likes men, because he likes women too, because he won’t make up his goddamn mind between one or the other.” _

“Yeah,” Zane continued, as if answering one of Gia’s questions. “I don’t know what to do. Our nephew likes men, but he likes women too, and that’s stressful. I just want him to be one or the other, not both. Why can’t he make up his mind? Why, Gia? Why can’t he make up his goddamn mind?!”

Tyler heard Ethan’s words again.

_ “Because he won’t make up his goddamn mind between one or the other.” _

And again.

_ “Because he won’t make up his goddamn mind between one or the other.” _

And again.

_ “Because he won’t make up his goddamn mind between one or the other.” _

Tyler shivered, feeling his heart vibrate uncontrollably. Everything inside ached, and screamed, and wrenched at him to get out.

“Eth.” He whispered, grabbing his boyfriend's arms and wrenching his body around. “Ethan, we have to--”

“No.”

“Ethan, I swear to fucking God if you fight me on this I will--”

Tyler felt his heart snap.

Ethan was crying, actual tears streaming down his light, dotted skin. He looked so broken, like he’d been given a reality check, like a child who’d been told that Santa was just a fantasy.

He needed to get Ethan away from his uncle, and his aunt, and the grocery store, and the stupid town with only 1,208 people, and he just needed to get Ethan away. Whether it be back to the Nestor household, or to their university in Ohio, or to a goddamn diner two towns over. He didn’t care where and he didn’t care how far, Tyler was taking him.

Tyler would take Ethan anywhere.

#  **4:49 PM**

“Why does my uncle hate me?”

The question was simple really. Anyone who knew the truth could answer it, and Tyler, someone who had just witnessed this full-fledged truth, felt he should answer it with ease.

But did he want to answer it with ease? Not really.

A part of Tyler felt like Zane Nestor truly didn’t hate his nephew. Hate was a strong word, hate was the thing that fueled world wars and murder and discrimination. And although Mr. Nestor had been disrespectful and horrid, some of the things he’d said still struck Tyler a different way.

“I don’t think your uncle hates you,” Tyler confessed, never letting his eyes stray from the white lines of the road. “I think he loves you, in some weird, twisted, asshole sort of way.”

Ethan wiped at his eyes. “Yeah, sure,” He spoke sarcastically, like the notion was bullshit. Which, in Tyler’s defense, may have been slight bullshit, but still came from the truth.

Tyler was getting the vibe that Zane Nestor didn’t really think his nephew was worthless. It was more complex than that. Zane loved his nephew, loved his nephew deeply, and Tyler had the suspicion that Zane truly wanted to support Ethan. But Zane was also old fashioned, and confused, and a beginner to understanding his nephew’s bisexuality. He didn’t know what he was doing, having to deal with a bisexual nephew, and he was naturally going to others for help. They didn’t exactly make a handbook for this sort of thing(alright, some do exist, though Tyler doubts Zane would ever read those).

However, that didn’t justify Zane’s words, not in the slightest. What he’d done was wrong, regardless of the intent or ignorance.

Tyler wanted more than anything to protect Ethan from his bitter situation. He wanted to save him, rid him of all his problems. Except, Tyler was smart. He knew that was an irrational notion, because the world is a cruel, hideous place, and that’s the reality. You cannot protect someone forever, no matter how much you care for them. Why? Because at the end of the day, you have your own problems, and they have theirs. Someday Ethan was going to have to fight his own battles, and on that day Tyler wouldn’t be there to help him escape.  

But, for now? For now, Tyler could at least be a support, a shield of protection for a day. He could keep driving, and driving, and driving, letting the car cruise at seventy miles per hour down the freeway.


	9. Bryan's Internal Monologue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> full disclaimer!!!  
> i am a cisgender girl. i have done some research for this chapter, but i will never know a personal experience with being transgender. if you are trans or have ideas on how i could have better written Bryan's scene, please! i am open to constructive criticism as long as it is constructive!! please be patient with me!
> 
> i love you guysss

#  **February 12th, 2029**

#  **3:34 PM**

“I have some things I plan to give you on Wednesday,” Carter said, his arm wrapped around Bryan’s shoulders as the two sat on the curb. Bryan turned to look at him, a gentle smile on his lips.

“Really? Like what?”

“Not telling. Just wanted to let you know before I forget and you run off.” Carter leaned in and kissed Bryan’s cheek, and Bryan rested his head on Carter’s shoulder, his eyes on the carpool line.

He saw Tyler’s car not too far down the line, and sat up, packing up the things he’d scattered on the ground in the past four minutes of chatting it up with Carter. Carter groaned, gently grabbing Bryan’s wrist.

“Do you have to leave so soon?”

“I don’t necessarily have a different way home, Carter.” Bryan smiled, amused. Carter got up, groaning with effort, and cupped Bryan’s face, kissing the tip of his nose gently.

“I guess I’ll see you Wednesday.” Carter placed his forehead on Bryan’s, and the latter boy nodded gently.

By now, Tyler’s car was almost at the front of the line, and Bryan rushed to catch him before he had to sit and wait for him at the very front. Bryan opened the passenger car door, tossing his book bag inside and plopping in his seat. “Hey, Papa.”

Tyler smiled at Bryan. “Hey, bud. How was school?”

Bryan reached over and buckled himself in. “It was fine.”

“That’s good.”

The two sat in quiet for a short while. Bryan had immediately pulled out his phone and when Tyler glanced over he saw that he was texting someone. When Bryan turned off his phone and reached into his pocket for his earbuds, Tyler cleared his throat.

“When are you gonna introduce us?”

Bryan didn’t look up from untangling the wires. “Introduce who to who?”

“That boy you’ve been seeing. We don’t even know his name. He seems nice, from what I saw out there.”

Bryan plugged his earbuds into his phone and looked at his father. “Wait, you watched us back there? Oh my god.”

“Yeah. I was waiting for you.”

“Oh my _god_.” Bryan put a plug in one of his ears but Tyler quickly reached over to stop his arm from raising the other to his head.

“At least tell me his name.”

“Ugh,” Bryan said, rolling his eyes and slouching in his seat. You know, like an edgy teenage bitch. “Carter.”

“Carter,” Tyler repeated to himself. “I like it. Carrrrrrrterrrrrrrrr.”

“Yeah. Carter.” Bryan looked at his phone, which was buzzing with notifications. “Are we done talking yet?”

Tyler sighed. “Sure.”

Bryan plugged in his other earbud, and the rest of the ten-minute car ride was spent in silence.

Tyler, while still focusing on the road ahead of him, had a massacre battling it out in his head, as usual. He’d always known this phase would come sooner or later, with any child. He just wasn’t expecting it to hit Bryan so soon. He’d been preparing himself for it to come, say, his sophomore year of highschool. But you don’t get to pick when your kids want to distance themselves from you. This kind of attitude has been going on for about two or three months, but it stills manages to make Tyler feel like he hasn’t done enough as a dad. But he can’t do anything more, because hassling Bryan might make him more distant.

He should also stop thinking about it so much, but it hurts. And Tyler tends to overthink things that hurt.

Soon enough, they were home, and Bryan’s destination as soon as he left the car was his bedroom. He was typing away on his phone, giving a quiet “hi” to Ethan before making his way upstairs and closing his door behind him. Ethan looked after his son for a few seconds before turning to Tyler questioningly. Tyler shook his head with a look that told Ethan that it was just another day. He put the car keys down on the dining table and sighed, feeling exhausted. From what? He wasn’t sure. He wanted to lay down, maybe take a nap, but part of him held back on making his way up to their bedroom. Sleeping in the middle of the day with the blinds closed and Alexa playing lo-fi music, as amazing as it sounds right now, was something Tyler did only after losing Charlotte. He knows there might not be any harm in a single nap after years of staying awake for at least ten hours straight every day, but he still felt that there was a risk of falling back into that pattern.

He was thinking too much, and not resting enough. He hardly was able to pull out the dining chair nearby before he collapsed into it, hitting his arm on one of the armrests. It didn’t hurt bad, but Tyler groaned, tilting his head back and closing his eyes.

“You feeling okay?” Ethan asked. Tyler took a breath in before humming a response weakly.

“M-hmm.”

“You look… Tired? Maybe you should go take a nap?”

Tyler shook his head, and covered his face with his hands. He sat up with a large intake of breath. “Maybe I just need to go jogging.”

“Exercising when you’re tired doesn’t really sound like a solid solution, but, I guess, go ahead? Don’t push yourself, though. Only go around the block.”

“Okay.”

Bryan heard the front door open and close below him as he laid in his bed. He sighs, placing his phone next to him. It was on silent, but his screen still lit up with every text from Carter. He loved Carter, but the boy was very possessive of him. It kind of frustrates Bryan sometimes, but he’s learned to live with it. The only real downside to Carter’s behavior is that it’s started rubbing off on Bryan. He’s been pushing away Ethan and Tyler the past few months because he often thinks about what Carter says to him about parents, and how unfair they are. Tyler and Ethan are fair, fun, and Bryan loves them, but he’s too embarrassed to blatantly apologize for being an ungrateful asshole now that he’s in too deep.

He sits up, and turned his phone face-down on the bed. He gazed at his closet from across the room. He jumped up, and walked over to it. He opened the door, and reached for a box hidden under the hanging clothes. He heard Ethan walk upstairs, and froze. The footsteps got close to his door, but instead of hearing a knock, things were quiet, before the footsteps went away from Bryan’s door and towards Ethan and Tyler’s room. He heard their door close.

Bryan exhaled quietly, and turned to look at the box again. He lifted the worn lid gently, and pulled out the object tucked snug inside. His mother’s favorite dress. She’d given it to him before he’d been taken to the orphanage to remember her by.

Sometimes he liked to put it on and twirl, maybe dance in it. He thought of it as a way to keep a clear memory of his mother, but recently, he’d been thinking it might also be something else. It was something he was a bit afraid of, so he’d isolated himself in his room every day after school for a week a bit ago to research things about it. He wasn’t too scared of it anymore, in fact, he’d even begun embracing it. It felt nice. He just wasn’t sure when he’d be ready to tell Tyler and Ethan, especially now that he’d pushed them away. Maybe he shouldn’t worry about it. Tyler and Ethan would still love him, right?

Right?

Bryan stopped his twirling and looked in the mirror. He felt very feminine and pretty, and he loved it. It made him feel incredible, like a truth he’d been unable to uncover about himself until recently. He didn’t like the name Bryan anymore. He wasn’t sure what name he liked yet, but hearing “Bryan” always sent him into feeling… Uncomfortable. Weird. He didn’t know what that was, or really how to describe it right. Was that a part of this? He decided to plop on his bed and pick up his phone, dress still on, and look it up. The dress settled around him, and he felt like a princess.

About twenty-two unread messages from Carter. Bryan rolled his eyes with a grin, swiped away the notification, promising himself to reply in a few minutes.

He googled a few keywords, and it took him a few tries to get it right. He clicked on a few websites, and they all seemed to say the same two words: “gender dysphoria.” Bryan googled that too.

##  **gen·der dys·pho·ri·a**

##  **/ˈjendər disˈfôrēə/**

##  **noun**

##  **the condition of feeling one's emotional and psychological identity as male or female to be opposite to one's biological sex.**

Bryan stared at the definition over and over. It made perfect sense, and Bryan didn’t know how to feel about it. It made him feel understood, and a little relieved that he wasn’t the only one who experienced this.

He heard a knock at the door. “Bryan?” Ethan called from the other side. “Can I come in?”

Bryan tossed his phone across the bed and quickly threw his comforter over his body to cover the dress. “Y-Yeah!” he called.

Ethan opened the door, eyeing Bryan questioningly when he saw his son tucked in tight with his phone on the bed a few feet away from him.

“Uh.” Ethan walked over to sit on Bryan’s bed, and Bryan silently prayed he didn’t feel a little lump from the dress. He didn’t. “I just wanted to ask if everything’s been okay with you. You’ve been very distant. I know it’s natural for you to wanna do that now, but… Just wanted to check in and make sure you’re doing fine in that little cave of solitude in that head of yours.”

Bryan looked to the side, feeling regretful of pushing his parents away in the first place. “Yeah. I’ve been doing okay.”

“Okay,” Ethan said, getting up. He leaned over and looked like he was gonna kiss Bryan’s forehead, like he always does, but stopped himself. Bryan watched as Ethan lingered there for a second, before patting the comforter awkwardly and forcing a tight smile, and left, closing the door behind him. Bryan couldn’t help but feel terrible.

That was it. He was really gonna do it. He was gonna tell them. As far as he could tell it was the only non-humiliating way to make up for months of distancing himself. He just wished it wasn’t such a hard decision. And one he forced himself to make so soon.

Bryan threw his comforter off of him, and stood. He smoothed out the dress, and took a quick breath. If he was really gonna do this, he was gonna do it before he changed his mind. He heard the front door open and close again. He knew that it must have been Tyler. Bryan opened the door, and heard Ethan greet Tyler from upstairs.

“Heyyy baaabyy.” Ethan said lovingly. Bryan heard Tyler chuckle, and his laugh was low and noticeably exhausted. Bryan took another breath, and walked from his doorway to the top of the stairs. The dress, dusty white and worn, reached his feet, so he gently picked it up and he made his way down the stairs. For a very brief moment, he felt like a princess walking down a stairwell to a ball. That feeling disappeared as soon as he spotted Tyler and Ethan at the bottom of the stairs. Tyler locked the front door behind his entrance, and Ethan, whom was staring at his child walking down the stairs, pinched Tyler’s shirt sleeve and tugged at it. Tyler turned to look at him, then Bryan caught his eye as well. Bryan reached the bottom of the stairs, and looked at his dads. He breathed deeply, and motioned for them to sit on the couch in the living room. They silently obliged.

Bryan stood in front of his parents, and a wave of anxiety suddenly crashed over him. Until this moment, he had gone into this situation blindly, but now the fear was catching up to him. He was terrified. What if they didn’t accept him? What would he do then? Would he have to go back to the orphanage? Would he even be adopted again because he was too old?

Tyler cleared his throat, catching Bryan’s attention. “So… What’s going on, bud?”

“Oh,” Bryan said. He cleared his own throat. “Dad, Papa. I have, uh… Something really important to tell you. And. I’m a little nervous. Because I don’t know how you’ll react.”

“You shouldn’t worry. What is it, bud?” Ethan said, leaning forward and placing his elbows on his knees.

“I, uh…” Bryan gulped. Here goes nothing. “I’m… I’m trans.”

Ethan and Tyler looked at him for a lingering moment, and Bryan could feel the anxiety crushing his ribs.

“I’ve been thinking about this for a while, before you ask if I’m sure.” Bryan started rambling, suddenly losing faith in his chances. “I’ve always kinda felt like being a boy didn’t fit who I was, but only more recently did I realize that I wasn’t the only one who felt like that? I don’t know. If you don’t like that, we can just, pretend this conversation never happened?”

Tyler blinked, sitting up. “No! No. This was something that you needed to tell us. This was big for you. And…” He glanced at Ethan, who looked back at him. “We’re proud of you, and we still love you. You don’t need to worry.”

Bryan exhaled loudly. “Oh, thank god. That was terrifying.”

“So, you don’t feel like a boy. Do you feel like, more of a girl? Or neither?” Ethan asked.

“I think I fit being a girl more than anything. This dress was something my mom gave me to remember her and I love wearing it. I also feel amazing and like myself when I embrace feminine things.”

“The dress looks great on you,” Tyler said. He thought to himself for a moment. “What pronouns do you like?”

“She/her is good.”

“Okay. She/her it is,” Ethan said. He took a moment. “Listen. We don’t understand this as much as we understand the whole… Liking boys thing. This is kind of new territory for us to explore and understand. But we’re willing to make the effort if this is what you know you are and if it’s important to you.”

“It is. It really is. It feels like a huge freaking weight or something has been taken off of me.”

Tyler, eyes still on his child, reached over and grabbed Ethan’s hand in his lap. Ethan held on. “This is definitely something that is good for us to know. Is there… Is there a different name you would like to go by? Now that you’ve come out as a girl?”

“I…” She thought to herself. “I haven’t thought about the name thing.”

“Do you need recommendations?” Ethan perked up, letting go of Tyler’s hand. His husband looked at him questioningly.

“Uh… Sure. If you have anything in mind.”

“How about Rose?”

She took a moment to think. Tyler spun his head to stare at Ethan, mouth agape and eyebrows furrowed.

“You…! I can’t believe you!”

“Whaaaaat?” Ethan asked innocently, but not really.

“You didn’t like that name when I asked-- Oh my _god_ , whatever.” Tyler turned to his daughter, who was still thinking. “Before you make your decision, just know that that name was _my_ original idea for Charlotte.”

“Rose… Rose.” She said. She looked at her dads, and nodded. “Yeah. I like Rose.”

“Well, then.” Ethan side-glanced at Tyler smugly, who was still glaring at him. “I guess your name is Rose Scheid now.”

“Rose Scheid.” Rose said. “I like that. It has a nice ring to it.”

#  **10:28 PM**

Rose had gone to bed about an hour ago, and now Tyler and Ethan were laying in bed. Tyler was reading a book while Ethan scrolled through Twitter on his phone. Ethan chuckled quietly to himself, and Tyler looked over at him. Tyler smiled softly.

“I’m proud of you.”

Ethan looked at his husband. “Why?”

“You were so willing to understand what Rose is going through. I know you’d never not accept her for being what she is, but… I don’t know. i’m just proud, I guess.”

Ethan laughed to himself. “Yeah, well, the _last_ thing I want is to be an ignorant asshole like my Uncle Zane.”

Tyler laughed inwardly. “Yeah.”

The two looked at each other, and Ethan reached over, grabbing Tyler’s hand. They held on, hands resting on the comforter. Both of them felt like this was right.


	10. He Didn't Know

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  
>  TRIGGER WARNING: TRANSPHOBIA, POSSIBLE DYSPHORIA TRIGGER!  
> !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
> 
> full disclaimer!!!  
> i am a cisgender girl. i have done research for this side of the story, but i will never know a personal experience with being transgender. if you are trans or have ideas on how i could have better written Rose's experience, please! i am open to constructive criticism as long as it is constructive!! please be patient with me!  
> much love, and stay safe <3

#  **February 14th, 2029**

#  **7:19 AM**

“I’m scared,” Rose said, anxiously tapping her fingers against the table as Ethan continued to make breakfast. Her phone was face down on the table, and Tyler had noticed she hadn’t picked it up once to check on it. 

“Why are you scared?” he asked as he set a glass of orange juice in front of her. “Is it about Carter?”

“Yes!” She exclaimed as she rested her head on the table. Ethan cast a look of his shoulder that Tyler could tell shared in the anxiety he felt as well. Tyler took the seat beside her and gently took her hand. “What if he isn’t as open to it as you? I don’t know what I’d do. Oh, god, what if I’m not really trans and I’ve dug myself into a hole I’ll never let myself out of? I don’t even know for sure yet if I have dysphoria!”

“Listen, I understand why you’re scared. This is… Scary. It’s really scary because you don’t know what to expect.” Tyler glanced back Ethan who smiled and nodded. “But… If Carter really cares about you, he’ll accept you for who you are, and he’ll be there for you.”

“And if he doesn’t accept you and he’s a jackass about it, just know he’ll have a special place under the flowers in the garden,” Ethan said jokingly as he turned back to breakfast. Tyler smirked.

“Yeah, you can tell him that your dads have a shovel and some dirt ready,” Tyler chuckled. 

“No, you can’t kill him!” Rose said, a horrified look on her face as her parents laughed. 

“We won’t kill him, Tiger, but if he hurts you we might be tempted to beat him up,” Tyler laughed again. 

“Papa!” 

“Alright, alright,” Ethan said as he scooped bacon and eggs onto three plates. “Tyler I think that’s enough. We won’t hurt him, sweetheart.”

“Don’t worry princess, I’m sure everything will be alright,” Tyler said as Ethan set a plate in front of him and Rose. Tyler gently cupped Rose’s cheek and leaned in to kiss her forehead. “You have nothing to worry about, I’m sure.”

Rose smiled now, looking relieved. 

“Thanks, dads.”

**3:45 PM**

**Texting: Carter 💘**

**Carter 💘:** Meet me at our tree xoxo 😘

Rose’s heart began to beat faster as she raced down the hall. Anxiety began to rise as it had done two nights previously, but she was also excited. She was sure Carter had gotten her something sweet for Valentine's day, and she was eager to see him and give him her present as well… That present, of course, would come with her coming out to him. It was scary… But she tried to remain optimistic. 

She quickly reached the parking lot and met her boyfriend beside the tree where they usually met. Of course, Carter was already there waiting for her. 

“Bryan!” he said excitedly as he pulled Rose in for a hug. Her heart began to beat faster. He gave her a quick kiss before hugging her again. “Happy Valentine's day, babe!”

“Happy Valentine's day!” she said, hoping her anxiety didn’t leak through her voice. Being referred to as “Bryan” from anyone else at any other time would cause her to feel uncomfortable, weird, sad even, but right now, she knew it was okay coming from Carter. He didn’t know.

“You’re looking cute today, although, you  _ do  _ look cute everyday.” Rose was so scared now. She really cared about Carter, and all she wanted was for this to go smoothly. 

“T-Thanks,” she said with a forced smile. 

“Oh! I got you something!” he said excitedly as he slid his backpack off his shoulder and began to unzip it. From his bag he pulled out a plushie of a corgi dog carrying a heart in its mouth. It was adorable, and Rose immediately fell in love with it.

“Oh, Carter!” she squealed as she took the stuffed animal and held it tightly. “I love it!”

“Good! I’m glad you do! I thought you would, I remember you saying how much you love corgis,” Carter said with a grin as he leaned against the tree. “So… This morning you said you had something to tell me… What is it?” 

“Oh…” her heart dropped. The time she’d been thinking of all day was finally here, and all she wanted to do was stall. 

“Well… We’ll get to that in a second. First I have something to give you!” From her own backpack she pulled out a box of chocolates and handed them to Carter. “It’s not as cute as the dog, but it’s what I could afford.”

Carter smiled. “It’s the thought that counts. Plus I love chocolate, thank you, Bryan.”

Her chest panged. She scolded herself for it.  _ He didn’t know. _

He opened the box and popped a piece into his mouth. “Now, the thing you wanted to tell me.”

_ Shit.  _

“R-Right. Well…” Rose tightened her hold on the stuffed dog. “Um… Carter… I’ve been thinking about something for… A while now and, I’ve realized something.” 

She slowly breathed in before sighing. Carter quirked an eyebrow.

“I’m… I’m a girl. I’m trans.”

_ And now he knew. _

There was a long moment of silence between the two, and the only thing that broke that silence was the pounding of Rose’s heart in her ears. Suddenly, Carter began to laugh. 

“Babe!” he said between laughs. “You do realize April Fools isn’t for another two months, right?” 

Rose felt her heart drop to the pit of her stomach. It took her a moment to register what he’d said, but even then, she was still caught off guard.

“What?” she asked slowly as he continued to laugh.

“This is a joke of some kind, right? Or a prank? Then again, I guess this is more believable than if you’d waited to pull a joke like this on April 1st, huh?”

“This isn’t a joke, Carter,” Rose said, forcing her voice to remain even. “I’m serious.”

The boy’s laughter continued for a few moments and their eyes locked. Slowly, his laughter died down and his smile disappeared from his face.

“Oh my god… You’re actually serious about this,” he said finally. His expression was unreadable. Rose swallowed hard as she nodded.

“Yes… I am.”  Carter stood up and began pacing back and forth as he ran his fingers through his hair.

He didn’t know how to react. He knew that he  _ should  _ react in an accepting, loving manner, but this was different than if it were literally anyone else. This was his  _ boyfriend. _ Carter liked boys. He’d known this for so long he didn’t know how to even  _ imagine _ dating a woman. So, what, now that Bryan suddenly  _ decided _ he was a woman that Carter would just be okay with it? For him to just, abracadabra, his sexuality is different even though it’s been so clear to him for six years? Bryan wasn’t a girl! Carter loved a boy! He… he loved a boy, who’s telling him that he’s a girl now. The thoughts themself and the entire process as a whole filled him with an emotion he didn’t think he could ever feel towards his partner. Before today.

“I know this is probably a little bit of a shock,” Rose said slowly. “But… It’s okay. I can give you whatever amount of time you need to adjust but… I know you care about me… And… I know that you can still care about me as your girlfriend, Rose.”

Carter laughed again, but this time it was different. 

“My  _ girlfriend _ ?!” he snapped. 

“Yes… Your girlfriend.” Rose’s heart began to drop again, as  _ if _ it had even begun to rise again. This wasn’t going well. Carter stopped pacing and covered his eyes for a moment before he looked back up at her and smiled. 

“You know what, this is okay. It’s fine, we’ll work through this.” A wave of relief washed over her and she smiled. 

“Carter, you don’t know how happy that-”

“All we have to do is wait for you to get through with this little phase and then everything will be alright. Right? Yeah.” Rose’s heart dropped so low she felt it in her feet If she’d been standing, she probably would have collapsed. Her breath hitched in her throat as his words sank in. She could already feel the vague sting of something welling up behind her eyes. 

“Ph… Phase?” 

“Yeah… That’s what this is after all, isn’t it? It’s just a phase. You’re not really a woman, Bryan, this is just something you have to work through.” Carter took a step closer to her and grabbed her chin, rougher than usual.  “I love you… And I’m willing to wait for you to come back to your senses no matter how long it takes. We’ll get through this.” 

He kissed her as tears began to well up in her eyes. When he pulled away he smiled down at her and roughly patted her cheek before he grabbed his bag and began walking away. 

“I’ll text you later tonight, okay, Bryan?” He called back over his shoulder. Rose didn’t reply, but only watched his he smiled at her one last time and ran to catch his late bus. 

When he was gone, she collapsed against their tree and began to sob. It would be a while before Ethan came to pick her up, and that would leave her plenty of time to cover up that fact that she’d been crying.

She had no idea that this would hurt her so bad. She’d been nervous, but somehow, Carter’s words were way more harmful than anything else he could have said.

_ “That’s what this is after all, isn’t it? It’s just a phase.” _

_ “You’re not really a woman,  _ **_Bryan_ ** _.” _

_ “I love you… And I’m willing to wait for you to come back to your senses no matter how long it takes.” _

Rose didn’t give herself the chance to ground herself before bursting out in a crying fit. She yelled as her tears flowed.

But nobody was there to hear her.


	11. Jasmine Hinojosa-Mills

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  
>  TW: TRANSPHOBIA, ABUSE  
> !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
> 
> full disclaimer!!!  
> i am a cisgender girl. i have done research for this side of the story, but i will never know a personal experience with being transgender. if you are trans or have ideas on how i could have better written Rose's experience, please! i am open to constructive criticism as long as it is constructive!! please be patient with me!  
> much love, and stay safe <3

#  **March 18th, 2029**

#  **1:28 PM**

Rose kicked her feet as she waited with Ethan in the waiting room. She was anxious. Today would be the start of a series of appointments for her to be diagnosed with dysphoria. But a small, small part of her told her that maybe she wouldn’t.

Maybe it wasn’t just telling her she wouldn’t, but maybe hoping she wouldn’t, too.

It’d been a month since Valentine's day, and Carter still insisted that Rose was a boy. Rose, against her better judgement, stayed with him, no matter how much it hurt her. She loved Carter, and she knew that he loved her, too. She couldn’t leave him. Even though she knew in her gut he didn’t love _her_ . He loved **Bryan**.

Luckily, for her, today she was dismissed from school early for this appointment. Tyler had made it a month earlier, but the waiting list was long, so it was a longer wait than anticipated. Nonetheless, she was here now, and more excited than anything. Carter’s words and discouragement remained in her mind, but she’d look over at Ethan next to her, squinting to see the movie playing on the little TV in the waiting room (it was Monster’s Inc.), and instantly, she’d feel okay again. It was a   cycle. She’d wait a little, feel anxious with Carter in mind, then look at Ethan and feel better. It was comforting being accompanied by her dad in a situation like this. He was one of the only six people she’d told, and just like four out of the other five he’d reacted with positivity, and love.

Rose came out to Mark, Kathryn, and Amy the weekend after Valentine’s day. They, too, were completely fine with it. Rose didn’t really think they’d not be okay with it, but, then again, she’d also thought that about Carter. Look how that turned out for her.

Carter plagued her thoughts every day after Valentine’s day. When she’d see him at school, he’d still call her **Bryan** and completely ignore that she’d started growing out her hair, only commenting on the fact that she needed to get a haircut. Her hair grew faster than she’d actually known before. She used to get her hair cut every other week, but now that she’s only getting it trimmed every now and then, her hair already reached her chin.

Rose’s hair type was a 3B kind of thing. She’d looked it up to see how it’d look if she let it grow out. She was happy with what she found.

Still… As excited and happy as she was with her hair growing out, Carter’s insistence that she should cut her hair was weighing down on her with all his other comments. She’d begun wearing a little bit of mascara and clear lip gloss, which he would constantly negatively comment on. _You shouldn’t wear makeup_ **_Bryan,_ ** _makes you less attractive. Aw, you were cuter when your hair was shorter. You should get your hair cut,_ **_Bryan._ ** _It’s just a phase. I still love you_ **_Bryan._ **

Was it love?

Rose wanted to believe it was.

“You use to love this movie when you were younger,” Ethan said out of the blue, snapping Rose from her thoughts.

Rose looked at him for a minute. “What makes you say that suddenly?”

“Don’t know. I think maybe I just said it to say it. But I was thinking about how much you’ve grown since you first came home with us.”

Rose quirked an eyebrow. “What?”

“I’m proud of you. Even though I know every kid changes as they get older, I’m proud that you’re on a path where you’re gonna make yourself and other people happy. I can already tell that’s where you’re headed.” Ethan said all of this without looking away from the screen, a genuine smile on his face.

Rose looked at him a while after he’d stopped talking. Her chest felt warm for the first time since she’d come out to him and Tyler. She felt her face warm vaguely, and looked in her lap, a small grin on her face.

Carter was out of her thoughts for now.

#  **4:54 PM**

The appointment was like a blur, though it lasted three hours. Rose was so excited through the whole of it that it came and went like nothing. Despite that, after the appointment, she felt sure that she had dysphoria, and that she’d be diagnosed with it come time. With a diagnostic, she knew, would come treatment.

She anticipated the day she would start treatment.

They’d left the clinic and got into the car. As Rose was listening to her music, Carter flooded her mind again.

Her doubts came with his memory.

Before she could dwell on them, Ethan reached over and placed a hand on her knee.

“Before anything else happens, I just want to make sure that you _know_ this is what you want for yourself. I’d hate for you to go through treatment, and… I don’t know. I don’t know how you feel. How this feels for you. I’m just making sure.”

“I’m sure, Dad.” Rose put on a smile for him. “This is the first thing that’s felt right inside since… I don’t even know. I think it’ll be easier to be happy once how I feel on the inside shows on the outside, like how I want it. You don’t need to worry.”

Rose reassured Ethan that this was a part of her, that she’d be okay with treatment. But Carter’s word were digging a hole in her thoughts. Why would she tell Ethan not to worry, when she worried herself?

Rose needed to sleep. She was so tired. She wanted to fall asleep in the car. But she couldn’t. All she did was think about Carter.

Two months ago, thoughts of Carter would bring her joy. Now they made her feel upset above all else.

Like many dumb choices she’d made since staying with Carter, she hadn’t told Tyler or Ethan about any of the things Carter had said to her. She was scared they would make it a bigger thing than it needed to be.

Maybe she was scared of what would come of it.

#  **March 24th, 2029**

#  **2:19 PM**

Somehow, things between Rose and Carter had gotten even more suffocating. As if Rose had ever thought it possible.

Their six month anniversary was rolling around the corner, and Rose had tried all her best not to think about it. It was three days away, on Tuesday, and it was all Carter thought to talk about with her. When she wouldn’t reply to his texts, he’d find her during recess or during lunch, and she’d be backed into a corner. Metaphorically. Not literally. Though she really felt like sometimes he made her want to sink into a wall to get away.

However, Carter’s mood was shifted entirely yesterday.

When rose didn’t reply to his texts, and stayed in the library throughout lunch and recess, he’d somehow managed to find her leaving the library and pulled her into the restroom. The men’s restroom.

“Hey, what’s your problem?” he asked after checking all the stalls. They were empty. Everybody had already gone to class, and Carter had her alone. “You haven’t been talking to me.”

Rose crossed her arms and looked to the side. “I don’t think we should be in here, Carter.”

“We aren’t leaving until you tell me, **Bryan** ,” he said, his eyebrows furrowed. “You’ve been avoiding me ever since I brought up our anniversary. What’s your deal?”

Rose’s eyes flicked downward. “I don’t know. I just don’t wanna think about it, I guess.”

Carter stared at her. “Why?”

Rose turned her head and stared at his shoes. ‘It doesn’t make me happy. Thinking about it.”

Carter looked like he was getting more upset. He clearly didn’t understand, and was getting sick of Rose’s vague mannerism. “Why?”

Rose didn’t want to answer. So she didn’t. She couldn’t find the right words to say, anyways.

“ **Bryan** , what is going on with you?”

A knife was already dug into her chest so deep, and his prying was like it was just being twisted around. Opening new wounds, and it hurt. _Bad_.

“It’s you,” she managed to choke out. Her voice was clearer than she expected. “Us. I don’t like thinking about us. Not anymore.”

Carter stared at her.

“I can’t breathe, Carter. Your words, they, like, are all I can think about. And it’s not good.”

“Are you breaking up with me?”

“No! No,” Rose said loudly, waving her hands in front of her face. They quickly found themselves folded in her arms again, however. “I… I don’t think so, at least.”

“Don’t you love me?” Carter asked.

Rose stared him in the eyes. “I could ask you the same.”

Carter stepped close. “Wh—Of course I love you, **Bryan** , can’t you see that?”

“That’s not my name.”

The words left her mouth before she even thought them up. But she didn’t regret them. They were true.

He stepped closer, reaching for her arm. “Yes, it is. I’ve stuck with you through this whole phase of yours. When will you finally give it up so things can go back to normal?”

“And do what? Not be happy, just to let you win?”

Carter was becoming impatient. “I’m not _winning_ at anything. I’m just right. Cut your hair, stop wearing those feminine clothes, and no more makeup. That’s really all I’m _asking_ of you. It’s not that hard!”

His tone was louder as it was brimming with rage-fueled anxiety. Still, Rose didn’t recoil.

“Maybe to you.”

The absence of fear or regret in her voice seemed to be what pushed him over the edge.

The sound echoed through the bathroom, and into the hallway. His palm went numb, but it didn’t bother him. Her cheek stung and her head jerked to the side.

“Don’t fucking talk to me like that,” his voice was spilling over with malice. “Stop being so fucking difficult. Just give it up already.”

He gave her a few seconds of intoxicating silence, before leaving the bathroom.

Rose stood there, her head in the same direction, silent. She turned to where Carter had left. She had no words.

But she heard him from out in the hall. Who was he talking to?

“Got a problem, freak?”

She didn’t recognize the responding voice right away.

“No. Not at all.”

She heard Carter’s footsteps on the tile floor as they went farther and farther away. Rose shuffled to the doorway, and saw who she guessed Carter was talking to standing there by the girl’s restroom. Her name was Jasmine Hinojosa-Mills, went by Jazzy, Rose’s classmate from English class. English class, where she was _supposed_ to be right now.

Jazzy watched as Carter left, before turning to Rose. Jazzy had muddy red hair that reached her hips and bangs, and somehow she always managed to rock the unusual color. Today she wore it half up half down, and with a white off-shoulder shirt and purple skirt. Rose and Jazzy hadn’t talked too much before now, so Rose was all but comfortable.

“Are you okay?” Jazzy asked. “I heard all of it. That sounded pretty intense.”

Rose looked at her for a moment. “It’s fine.”

Jazzy forced a chuckle. “Tell that to the hand mark on your cheek.”

Rose instinctively reached up to touch the aforementioned cheek. It still stung a little. She flinched slightly, and Jazzy winced as a result, hissing sympathetically.

“Doesn’t look great,” she said. “Here, come with me.”

Jazzy walked into the girl’s bathroom like it was nothing, and Rose could tell she genuinely expected for her to follow. She did. Being in the girl’s bathroom felt better.

Jasmine took a few paper towels out of the dispenser, and stacked them before putting them under a faucet. She wet the towels, gently wrung them, and handed them to Rose, who put them on her cheek. The cold sensation was refreshing, and felt good.

“Thanks.”

“No problem,” Jazzy said. She was quiet for a moment. “Do you wanna talk about it?”

Rose looked at her. “Talk about what?”

“You know ‘what.’ That guy just slapped you, and I can’t think of a reason why. Who even is he?”

“Ah, uh,” Rose stuttered. “My… My boyfriend, Carter. We’re going through some rough patches right now. You don’t need to trouble yourself with knowing about it.”

“If you need to get something off your chest, though… I don’t mind. Really.”

Rose looked at Jazzy again, and it was clear she meant it. “I think he’s just having a lot of trouble understanding that I’m not a boy. I don’t blame him. I kind of put it on him super, like, suddenly.”

“You don’t blame him for hitting you?”

“No, that’s not…” But the more she thought about it, the more Rose realized that was technically what she _was_ saying. She sighed, leaned her back against a wall, and slid down it. “It’s just so much more complicated than I was expecting.”

“What is?”

“I just thought he’d be okay with it, really,” Rose replied, resting her head against the wall and closing her eyes. “Don’t know what I’m gonna do now.”

“Uh, dump his ass?” Jazzy said, humor in her tone. “Pretty obvious to me. Are you guys going to the same high school next year?”

“I… I honestly don’t know?” Rose said. She looked at Jazzy. “He wants to go to Deer Park High. I was gonna go to Wintery Hill, like everyone else, but…”

“So go to Wintery Hill,” Jazzy said. “So you don’t have to see him.”

Rose scoffed. There was no ill intention behind it, really, she was mostly frustrated only with herself. “God, how I wish it was that easy.”

Jazzy was quiet for a minute. “I was sent to come look for you after Mrs. Lorah heard from staff that you were here today. We should get back soon.”

Rose nodded, but she didn’t move. She was so tired. So weak. Immediately she couldn’t hold the damp paper towels to her cheek, which was fine she guessed, they had lost their soothing cool ages ago.

Jazzy walked over and sat beside the silent girl. “Seriously, though, are you okay?”

“I don’t know,” Rose responded, before chuckling. “I don’t even know what’s going on half the time anymore. Is that normal?”

“Given what I know about your situation, which, disclaimer, is very little, but it doesn’t seem like it’s something to be brushed off as normal.” Jazzy smiled. This chick didn’t seem to be one to waste her time faking a sad expression for Rose’s sake. She found her own humor in the situation they were in, two girls sitting against a wall in an empty school restroom that smelled of a culmination of old urine and flavored vapor while they were meant to be in class, talking about everything, it felt. Rose liked that. Jazzy’s smile, however, did not distract Rose from the seriousness in her tone. “He needs to back off, and if you aren’t in a place where you can make him yourself, well, I guess I’m just gonna have to stick around and protect you until you can, huh?”

A few minutes ago, Rose would’ve been angry at her for being so nosy in her personal life. They didn’t know each other. What makes her think she had the right to not mind her own business?

But now, while she felt so calmed by the lack of a crowd and the only sound evident being their own voices, she felt like maybe sometimes people could stick their nose in your business simply because they care enough about you to. Thankfully, she could tell this was one of those times.

“Protect me?” Rose smiled. “What, are you gonna show up every morning in bright armor wielding a shield and sword like She-Ra?”

“I’ve seen that show!” Jazzy said. “And yes. But, only if you will have me, that is.”

Jazzy placed a hand on her heart.

“Will you take me to be your royal bodyguard, Ms…?”

“Rose, Scheid,” Rose said, and it almost caught her off guard. She hadn’t said her full name out loud yet. But this was too good a moment to dwell on how much she loved the sound of it. “And, sure, man. I dub thee my bodyguard-until-I-can-dump-my-boyfriend-on-my-own.”

Rose didn’t actually expect to make one of the best friends of her life that day, but sometimes, great things can come out of tough situations. All it takes is being in the right place, at the right time. And for them, it took Jazzy being next to the bathroom, that Friday afternoon during fifth period.

Who knows? Maybe that day was one that saved Rose’s life.


	12. We Aren't Perfect

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> a chapter that's actually focused on Tyler and Ethan? in this TyThan fic? hells yeah
> 
> i love Rose but Ty and Eth need their share of love too
> 
> also yes i am aware these chapters are a month late of Valentine's day don't @ me

#  **February 14th, 2029**

#  **12:40 PM**

“Do you think she’s gonna be okay?” Ethan asked out of the blue, placing down his coffee mug. “Do think we’re gonna, like,  _ actually _ have to bury an eighth grader in the garden out back?”

Tyler looked up from his book from his place on the couch. “I don’t think we have to worry. I don’t know anything about Carter, but Rose seems happy being with him. Besides, she trusts us. If things go awry, she’ll tell us.”

Ethan stared at Tyler silently for a moment from his seat at the dining table, laptop open in front of him, elbows on the table, before staring into his filled coffee mug in doubt.

“I hope you’re right.”

Ethan didn’t know what it was like to find out a loved one didn’t accept your gender, but he was all too familiar with unaccepting relatives to believe Tyler, as much as he wished he could.

#  **6:19 PM**

Rose seemed fine when Ethan had gone to pick her up at five, two hours after school. It was so relieving that it made Ethan lose his breath for a moment.

“I take it things went well?” he asked, eyeing the corgi plush in his daughter’s hands. Relief was still a new stage for him, and he didn’t notice her tense up. Her tone was unwavering, her face was clean. No way had she cried.

“Yeah,” she simply said.

She hadn’t cried, he concluded. Honestly, Ethan didn’t know if she would cry if Carter didn’t accept her. Was she a crier? She was so happy-go-lucky as a peppy little kid, he’d rarely ever seen his child cry, even when being teased was a daily mishap for her. Maybe she wasn’t anything like Ethan. Maybe she could handle herself better and keep her tears from flowing. Maybe she was stronger.

He’d always wished he was stronger.

They’d driven home, and Rose resigned to her room to do homework, she told him. Ethan went up into his room to hear Tyler in the bathroom humming to some music playing while trimming his facial hair. Ethan stood in the doorway, leaning on the frame with his arms crossed.

“Where we going tonight?” he asked. Tyler’s humming had stopped when he spotted Ethan from the corner of his eye, but his snipping away had not faltered.

“S’ a surprise,” he replied.

“Can’t wait,” Ethan said with a grin. “Is this a fancy place? Should I dress up in a suit and tie and slick my hair back like Charlie Puth in Nine Track Mind?”

“It’d be okay to just wear something comfy and nice.” Tyler cleaned off the scissors and placed them back on the counter before examining his job in the mirror. “It’s not an overly-fancy restaurant or cruise ship. No Charlie Puth needed.”

“Thank god,” Ethan said. He stood up straight and walked to the closet. He’d skimmed through his shirts, picked out a blue flannel, and took a pair of black jeans from his drawer. He returned to the bathroom, seeing that Tyler wasn’t dressed for something other than jogging. Ethan glided past him, to the shower, and turned on the faucet to let the water heat up. “You gonna go for a run in a minute, or do you wanna join me?”

Tyler ruffled his hair for a second, his eyes bored, and replied. “Sure, be there in a sec.”

#  **7:29 PM**

“You guys take forever to literally go anywhere,” Rose said with a small grin. “You’re like girls my age in old 2000s movies.”

“God, we’re leaving, you don’t have to keep nagging us,” Ethan said with a fake groan. “Didn’t know you hated us  _ that _ much.”

“I don’t hate you.” Rose exhaled a laugh. “Alone time just sounds amazing right now.”

“Teens these days,” Ethan replied. He walked over and wrapped a hand around Rose’s head, pulling her in for a forehead kiss. “We’ll be back before midnight. You better be in bed by then.”

“You got it, bro.”

Tyler walked up next to Rose from behind her, in the kitchen. “See you tomorrow, Tiger. I love you.”

Rose reached up on her tippy-toes to peck her father on the cheek. “Love you, too. Have fun on your date. But, like, not  _ fun _ fun. Cause that’s gross.”

“ _ Bye, _ Rose,” Ethan was already halfway out the door, but he held it open for Tyler, still, because he’s a gentleman. He claims to be so ever so often.

Tyler grabbed the car keys off the table next to the front door before shutting it behind him.

Rose exhaled.

#  **7:52 PM**

“Okay, it's been  _ forever _ . Literally, Tyler, where are we going?”

Ethan stared out the passenger side window as LA looked less familiar than it did ten minutes ago.

“We're almost there,” Tyler said with a smile, eyes focused on the road. He took a hand off the wheel for a moment and gently placed it on Ethan's knee. “Be patient.”

“I  _ been  _ patient, boy.”

Tyler pats his knee before returning his hand to its placement on the steering wheel. “We’re pulling up now.”

“I’m guessing you’re gonna, like, blindfold me and have me walk blind for two miles because it’s a surprise.”

“No. I’m not Mark, mind you. The spot is right around this building.”

Ethan looked at where they parked. In the parking lot of a restaurant. This place looked oddly familiar, but he didn’t know why.

Tyler turned off the car and opened his door, and walked around to open Ethan’s for him. Ethan got out, eyeing the restaurant curiously, and followed his husband. Tyler lead him around the building to a secluded area that ethan immediately recognized.

In the area was a ground of green grass and a large tree planted right in the  middle. Multiple beautiful flowers had sprouted around the tree’s stump and dotted the ground around it. The view from here looked over the beach among the coast of LA, and a road below the hill where cars with their headlights on were driving past. There were a few fireflies flying around the area, lighting up alongside the candles.

Wait, candles?

Tyler walked around the tree, Ethan following around the other side. There was a little blanket laid across the grass, lit candles placed carefully on each corner. On the blanket were two wine glasses and a basket. A little Bluetooth speaker was perched next to it.

Ethan sucked in a breath. “This is—”

“Where we had our first date.” Tyler grinned at Ethan as he sat down on the blanket, holding out a hand. Ethan took it, and sat down as well. “No fancy restaurant or anything.”

“Did you plan for these fireflies to be here?”

“No, they just came on their own. You remember how there were lots of these guys around when we first came here, right?”

“Mm, it’s been a while,” Ethan said with a shrug. “Also, when we came here, it was, like, still daytime.”

“The sun was setting.” Tyler corrected him. “But I guess I get it. Anyways, do you like it?”

Ethan beamed at his partner. “It’s perfect.”

Tyler connected the speaker to his phone and started playing some music on low volume. Cute, romantic music. Music that brought good memories with it.

_ “We are searchlights, we can see in the dark. We are rockets, pointed up at the stars. We are billions of beautiful hearts, and you sold us down the river too far.” _

Tyler pulled a bottle of wine out of the basket and poured him and Ethan glasses. He placed the bottle down against the tree gently, and raised his glass. “To us.”

They clinked their glasses together.

_ “What about us? What about all the times you said you had the answers? What about us? What about all the broken happy ever afters?” _

Ethan took a sip of his wine, and thought back to their wedding. He smiled gently.

“It’s crazy, thinking about it,” Ethan spoke, lowering the glass from his lips. Tyler looked at him questionably.

_ “What about us? What about all the plans that ended in disaster? What about love? What about trust? What about us?” _

“I had no idea what I was getting myself into thirteen years ago,” Ethan said, looking out on the water. The wind gently blew, and he felt his hair move with it. “When I first went out with you, I didn’t know this was where we’d end up. Married, still in love, a little broken, but with a beautiful daughter.”

Tyler looked at him, and his eyebrows furrowed. “Do you regret anything?”

_ “We are problems that want to be solved. We are children that need to be loved. We were willin', we came when you called, but man, you fooled us, enough is enough.” _

“Nope. Never do.” Ethan smiled. “We aren’t  _ perfect _ , but is anyone?”

_ “What about us? What about all the times you said you had the answers? What about us? What about all the broken happy ever afters? Oh, what about us? What about all the plans that ended in disaster? Oh, what about love? What about trust? What about us? Oh, what about us? What about all the plans that ended in disaster? What about love? What about trust? What about us?” _

Tyler thought about everything that’d happened in the past thirteen years or so. He and Ethan got together, Ethan’s relationship with his uncle went sour, Mark and Amy split, Mark and Jack got married, Mark and Jack had Marcus, he and Ethan had gotten married, Chica, well, Chica stayed the same, so did Henry, Marcus was diagnosed, Ty and Eth had Charlotte, Charlotte passed, then after a good couple of uneventful years they adopted Rose. It was really a lot.

Tyler looked at the glass in his hand. “We definitely are not perfect.”

_ “Sticks and stones, they may break these bones, but then I'll be ready, are you ready? It's the start of us, waking up come on. Are you ready? I'll be ready.” _

“I just feel a little more perfect with you,” Ethan looked at Tyler, who returned the gaze, setting down his glass. “When you really look at it, it’s a lot.” Ethan looked down at his own drink and swirled it around in the glass. “There’s a lot of stuff that happened that we don’t think about enough, I think. We have stuff we’re gonna have to face at some point, and yeah, it’s stressful, but we’ll survive. I know I have a reason to. Two reasons, actually.”

_ “I don't want control, I want to let go. Are you ready? I'll be ready, 'cause now it's time to let them know we are ready. What about us?“ _

Ethan grinned at Tyler knowingly. Tyler flashed a small grin in return, before leaning over, cupping Ethan’s face with his right hand (his left was occupied holding him up on the blanket), and kissing him.They kissed softly, slowly, for a good few seconds, as the music played.

_ “What about us? What about all the times you said you had the answers? So what about us? What about all the broken happy ever afters? Oh, what about us? What about all the plans that ended in disaster? Oh, what about love? What about trust? What about us?” _

Tyler pulled away first, and Ethan’s eyes remained closed for a split second after. Tyler smiled again.

“I have my reasons to, as well.”

_ “What about us?” _

Ethan was right. Things were rough, but they were gonna make it. Together.

Of that, he was certain.


	13. Waffle House at 5AM

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> and now we begin learning about Mark's side of the family 😳😳
> 
> (this one's for the Crankiplier fans. go crazy. go stupid)

#  **April 7th, 2029**

#  **11:29 PM**

“Hard question,” Jazzy put a finger to her mouth in thought. “If I were to date anyone from the cast of  _ Lemonade Mouth _ , probably, uh… Hayley Kiyoko.”

“You liar.”

“Okay, okay, it wasn’t  _ that _ hard.”

Rose snorted. Jazzy smiled in return, hugging the pillow close to her chest.

“I’m hungry. Y’all got food?”

“Mm, probably. We kinda need that.” Rose rolled over onto her back, looking at Jazzy. “The dad bros are probably chilling downstairs watching a movie. We do that usually on weekend nights.”

“Am I interrupting tradition?”

“No! Well, yeah, but don’t worry about it!”

Jazzy giggled and threw the pillow at Rose. It hit her in the face. She stood up. “Let’s go get snacks and watch a movie up here. We’ll show them how to have a movie night!”

“That may be one of the dumbest things you’ve said in a while but okay,” Rose said with a grin, lifting the pillow off her face.

The girls quietly opened Rose’s bedroom door, and tiptoed to and down the stairs. They saw Tyler and Ethan sitting on the couch, an as Rose predicted, a movie was on. They immediately spotted the girls on the steps.

“Hey, Tiger, whatcha guys doing?” Ethan asked.

“Getting snacks and a movie,” Rose replied. “Jazzy thinks your movie night isn’t as cool as ours will be.”

“Don’t throw me under the bus!” Jazzy lightly smacked Rose’s upper arm, and the other girl giggled. “Can’t believe I’m best friends with a rat!”

“You know where the snacks are.” Tyler shooed Rose away. “Movies are in our room.”

Rose shot a look at Jazzy and the two sped into the kitchen. Ethan and Tyler heard the sound of cabinet doors closing and loud girlish giggles over their movie. Tyler smiled and pulled Ethan closer.

The two ran back upstairs, arms full of chip bags, laughing like criminals that just robbed a bank and not-so-stealthily got away. They dropped the bags in Rose’s room before scurrying to Tyler and Ethan’s to pick out something to watch. They kneeled in front of the low shelf filled with all sorts of movies, from Disney animated ones to “old classics,” as Mark often called them. These consisted of _The_ _Room_ and _Mean Girls_.

“Ooh, I haven’t seen this one in a while!” Jazzy excitedly pointed to  _ Ralph Breaks the Internet _ . “I used to watch that all the time when I was younger.”

Rose pulled it out and examined the cover. Her eyes flicked up to Jazzy. “Any specific reason why?”

“It’s a good movie!” Jazzy exclaimed. She stared at Rose for a moment before giving in. “Also I’m super gay for Shank and Yesss.”

“That’s valid as hell,” Rose said. “Who’s to say they aren’t girlfriends? Alright, we’ll watch this.”

They scampered back to Rose’s room, closing and locking the door behind them. Jazzy threw herself onto the pillow-covered ground face-first. She hurt her nose.

She was gonna complain about it, but she heard Rose laugh in delight, and decided against it.

Rose put the movie in the DVD player, and grabbed the remote. As she skipped the trailers to get to the movie’s menu, Jazzy arranged the snacks. Some of the chip bags were unopened. She changed that. She placed them in areas they’d be easily accessed, and snuggled herself into a comfortable position amongst the pillows. Rose started the movie, and sat next to her friend. Jazzy hummed, eyes closed. “It’s comfy.”

“I’m glad,” Rose said, hands holding onto her crossed legs. “Cause tomorrow after you leave I’m gonna have to clean this all up, and it’d be pretty shitty of you not to appreciate it.”

“I appreciate the hell out of your service,” Jazzy said. She opened her eyes as the movie actually began. “When I was, like, nine, I was watching this with one of my moms, Annika. She told me that she liked this movie because she could relate to its message.”

“What does that mean?” Rose glanced at her curiously, grabbing a nearby pillow and hugging it close. Jazzy looked at her.

“She had—  _ has _ a friend named Lizzie that she’s known for, like, forever, and Lizzie became super possessive over her in high school, I think. Wouldn’t let her move out of her house or take opportunities that would make her leave.”

“Yikes.”

“Yeah, she said it was bad,” Jazzy turned back to the movie. “I’m glad I don’t have to deal with that.”

Rose peered at her. “But they’re still friends?”

“Yeah, after a while it got better. It was just a lot for her to go through.”

Rose took a breath. “Not saying this to crush your spirits, but you can’t be for sure you won’t have a possessive person in your life yet.”

“I know,” Jazzy said. “But for right now, I’m good where I am.”

Rose looked down, saying nothing.

“And now I wanna help you get to a place where you feel good.”

Jazzy looked at Rose, a kind smile decorating her face. Rose looked at her, unsure.

“As long as you want me to be around, I will. It’s also okay if you don’t want me around. I’ve only known you for, what, a little over a week? But I can tell you’re one of the most genuine people I’ve ever met, and I want people like you to be happy. And I can tell that’s not the case right now, huh?”

Rose didn’t know what to say in response. She suddenly got choked up. Nobody her age had ever been as kind to her as Jazzy. “Thanks, Jazz.”

#  **April 8th, 2029**

#  **5:28 AM**

It wasn’t Ethan’s original Sunday morning plan to be standing outside a Waffle House at 5AM waiting for Mark’s car to pull up so they could go in together, but here he was.

It didn’t take very long before a car pulled into the parking spot right in front of Ethan, and he recognized Mark in the driver’s seat. Nobody else seemed to be with him.

Mark got out, and strangely enough, didn’t say anything. He gestured for Ethan to follow him as he opened the door to the restaurant, and Ethan curiously followed.

Before he and Tyler settled into bed just a few hours before, Ethan got a few texts from Mark. Not in the group chat, just to him. They were vague, but pleading, begging him to meet with him somewhere to talk. Ethan agreed, a strange feeling of anxiety building in his chest. He slept for a few hours before heading over. He heard Jazzy and Rose were still awake when he passed her door.

Mark sat at the booth in the far corner of the restaurant, and Ethan sat across from him. Ethan was surprised to see as many patrons there as he did. Most were teens, some were people grabbing breakfast before work, there was even a family sat a few tables away that probably stopped here during a drive. Ethan heard them talking about how their trip from Washington to Arizona was going.

Ethan looked at Mark, and usually he would expect his friend to start talking, but after those texts, and how quiet Mark had been before now, Ethan didn’t know what he was expecting. A waitress approached their table and asked for their drink orders. Mark ordered water quietly while Ethan ordered orange juice.

“So, what do you need to talk about so urgently that we’re in a WaHo at 5 in the morning?” Ethan asked. Mark was leaned forward with his arms crossed on the table, and he was just looking down at them.

“It’s Marcus,” he replied. His voice was monotone and a bit scratchy. Ethan felt panic immediately start crawling up his back.

“What’s wrong with Marcus?” Ethan asked, as calmly as he could. He didn’t spend the most time in the world with Marcus, who he referred to as his nephew, basically, but just like the rest of his family, Ethan loved Marcus, and would do anything for him. If there was something wrong, Ethan didn’t know what he’d do.

“The doctors said it’s getting worse.” Mark rubbed his eyes. “The cancer’s spreading rapidly. We’re gonna try chemotherapy, see if it helps, but… I don’t know.”

His voice had progressively gotten more broken as he spoke, and Ethan could tell this was eating Mark from the inside out. Mark, like Ethan, would do just about anything for his family. Ethan didn’t know much on Mark’s part, but that was one thing he could understand completely. He knew how much it sucked to have a loved one’s life be in danger.

Especially that of a child.

“Hey,” Ethan said. “It’s gonna be okay.”

The waitress quickly came over and gave them their drinks, and Ethan sent her off by telling her that they weren’t gonna order food yet.

“You don’t know that, Ethan.” Mark’s voice was really terrible now. It made Ethan feel awful. “We— I— I needed to talk about this with someone.  _ Anyone _ . I’m trying to be strong for Marcus and Jack, but— It’s not— I just—”

Mark covered his face with his hands.

“When’s Marcus starting chemo?”

Mark took in a shaky breath and uncovered his face, his cheeks stained with tears. His wiped his mouth. “Tuesday. We tried it when he was first diagnosed, and then we stopped it because we didn’t think he needed it anymore. God, I feel so fucking stupid. You’d think— You’d think I’d be a little smarter about this because of my dad, but— But I guess not. Now Marcus is suffering because of a— Because of a stupid decision I made.”

“What kind of cancer is it again?”

“Leukemia.”

“The survival chances of that aren’t terrible.”

“Wow. Thanks,” Mark said.

“Also, you feel bad because you took Marcus off of chemo a long time ago because you guys decided he didn’t need it anymore? What lead to that conclusion?”

“I don’t exactly remember,” Mark replied. “But I think one of the doctors told us that he’d gotten a remission. We didn’t know what that meant, but one of the other doctors said it meant he’d been cured.”

Ethan pulled out his phone and opened Google. He typed in the query, “what does remission mean with cancer.” It took a few minutes of reading the results before he’d put it away again. He reached across the table and grabbed Mark’s hands.

“Don’t feel bad about what you did. The doctor who told you Marcus was cured lied to you. A remission is a temporary solution, Mark. They call it that because cancer can come back. You didn’t know. Don’t beat yourself up over it. Nobody in any way, shape, or form could have prevented this.”

Mark exhaled. He looked so tired, so in pain, and so broken. Ethan knew how all that looked all too well. Until five years ago, that was all he saw when he looked in the mirror. Some days, even now, he’d wake up and see it in the mirror.

Ethan’s chest felt tight, and he didn’t know exactly how he was holding back tears, but he wanted to say something, anything, to make Mark feel confident in Marcus’ chances.

“Marcus is going to be okay. I promise you.”

Granted, it was a promise he wasn’t sure how to keep. Whether it was true or not, he had no control. But Mark chuckled softly. It was a weak laugh, but a laugh nonetheless.

“Don’t make promises you might not be able to keep. But, thanks, Eth. For letting me talk about this. It’s weird, when I was thinking about who I wanted to talk to as a way out, the first person that came to mind was you. I guess my gut was right.”

Ethan smiled.

“I’m glad you feel that way. It’s gonna be okay, Mark.”

Mark grinned in return. “Okay, fine, I’ll pay for you to get a waffle.”


	14. That's Not My Name

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> !!!!!!! transphobia tw bruthers
> 
> Rose snapped yall

#  **May 23rd, 2029**

#  **4:29 PM**

“I don’t get why you’re going to Wintery Hill,” Carter said. “I thought you wanted to spend high school at Deer Park with me.”

_ So did I until a while ago, _ Rose thought to herself. From her place under their tree behind the school, with Carter’s arm around her shoulders, she felt comfortable, but wary. After what had happened in the boy’s bathroom in March, she was always wary.

Jazzy didn’t know she was here right now with him. Carter had texted her to say he missed being together and to meet him under their tree if she could. Rose felt bad for not telling her best friend about what she was doing, seeing as it was the very thing Jazzy was driven to prevent Rose from having, but something in her wanted to see him again. Maybe it was nostalgia. Maybe it was hope. Maybe it was something else entirely.

“I did,” she said absently, not even dwelling on the past tense of ‘do.’ Carter seemed to have furrowed his brows ever so slightly at it, though. “But things are weird right now. Plus, my best friend is going to Wintery Hill. So is basically everyone else. I’d just feel more comfortable being around the people I grew up around, you know?”

“But, like, half of them used to bully you.”

“Yeah. But recently, not so much. They’ve all changed. People don’t stay the same their whole lives.”

“I know…”

Rose looked at Carter. “Are you gonna be okay? All alone?”

“Yeah. Maybe. No. I'm not sure,” he replied. “I could ask you the same thing. You… You aren't gonna be alone, but… Are you gonna be okay?”

Rose tried ignoring Carter's eyes flicking to her long hair tied up in a bun. It'd grown so long already, and she loved it, no matter what he'd thought.

“I'm gonna be fine,” she said. They were quiet for a moment.

“I miss us,” Carter said.

“That’s why I’m here right now.”

“No, the old us. Before things got weird and tense.”

“You made them like this.”

“If anything, you did. You’re starting to wear me out. I miss when things were good.”

“They still can be,” Rose shrugged his arm from her shoulders and turned to face him. “You just refuse to accept that I’m a girl.”

“It’s just—”

“I’ve been adamant about it for over three months, Carter. You and I both know you’re not stupid. You are aware this isn’t a phase for me.”

Carter looked to the side, his eyes regretful. Like he was holding something in, or just felt bad.

“Somehow, that makes things more difficult.”

#  **May 25th, 2029**

#  **4:09 PM**

“I didn’t drive you home for this!” Jazzy threw board game pieces at Rose. “I can’t believe you invited him over!”

“I know it was stupid!” Rose said. “But I think he wants to patch things up.”

“What!” Jazzy said, and it sounded more like an exclamation than a question. “He hit you! He doesn’t deserve forgiveness!”

“It was one time!”

“Only because I’ve been keeping you away from him since! Who knows what’s gonna happen when he gets here?” Jazzy asked. “Do your dads even know?”

“Of course not. Why would I tell them?”

“Uh, because they want the best for you!”

“Okay, okay, listen, Jazz,” Rose said. “He’s coming over whether you want him to or not. You’re free to ask your moms to pick you up whenever if you want.”

” _ No, _ ” Jazzy said. “I’m staying. I‘m not letting him lay a finger on you.”

“You’re so protective.”

#  **May 29th, 2029**

#  **8:39 AM**

Rose isn’t sure if she regrets inviting Carter over on Friday. Everything in her is telling her it made things more tense. She kept noticing that Jazzy was giving Carter defensive glares while Carter shot passive aggressive one-liners her way. The whole thing made her feel uncomfortably in the middle.

Yesterday she had a long appointment at the clinic, so she didn’t have to go to school. She wasn’t looking forward to making up all the work she missed, but she was excited to spend time with Jazzy.

That being said, Rose spotted her as soon as she entered the cafeteria. Rose and Jazzy had recently been coming to school early to get breakfast together before class began. Jazzy’s red hair was always easy to pick out amongst a sea of black and brown hair colors.

Today, however, Jazzy wore a black beanie, and as Rose got closer, she saw that she also wore a grey hoodie.  _ Weird, _ Rose thought. This was a sudden shift from Jazzy’s usually vibrantly colored cutesy outfits.  _ Maybe she just felt like dressing comfortably today? _

Rose sat next to Jazzy. “Heyy,” she said, placing her bookbag on the floor next to her. Jazzy grinned at her.

“Hey,” she said. “What made you skip school yesterday?”

“Oh, right,” Rose said. “I had a long appointment at the clinic. By the time it ended, it was 2 o’clock, so.”

“Lucky,” Jazzy said. “Wanna go get breakfast?”

“Yeah.”

The two made their way through the line, getting school breakfast. Rose preferred eating Tyler’s breakfasts at home, but spending time with Jazzy was more fun.

“Hey, what’s up with your hair?” Rose asked, noticing that Jazzy’s beanie was positioning her bangs to cover her left eye.

“What? Oh, nothing.”

“It’s bothering me. Fix it.”

“Nah.”

They sat down at the table, and Rose couldn’t take her eyes off Jazzy’s hair. It was  _ distracting _ . She reached over to fix it.

“What are you doing?” Jazzy gently placed her hand on her beanie.

“It’s so bothering!! Let me fix it!”

“No, bro, I like it like this!”

“I— Bro, why are you being weird about it?”

“I’m not! You’re the one trying to—”

“If you’re self-conscious about something, let’s go to the bathroom!” Rose grabbed her friend’s hand and dragged her across the cafeteria to the bathroom. As soon as they were in, it didn’t seem like anyone else was there, either. Rose reached for Jazzy’s hat again.

“Dude, how many times do I have to tell you no before you back off?” Jazzy stepped back abruptly.

Rose didn’t respond, just stared at Jazzy for a moment before lunging forward, grabbing at Jazzy’s beanie and pulling it off her head. Jazzy jolted in surprise, and her hair fell out of her face.

Rose stared at the sight before her, and Jazzy scrambled for her hat in haste.

“What the hell, dude?!” Jazzy exclaimed angrily. She put her hat back on and tried to fix her hair again in the mirror.

“Who… Who did that to you?” Rose said. The image of Jazzy’s black eye wasn’t leaving her thoughts. It looked terrible.

“Don’t worry about it.”

“Jazzy—”

“Seriously, it’s fine. I promise.” Jazzy’s tone shifted. Her words were gentle, and she didn't look at Rose. Something was definitely wrong.

Rose placed a hand on Jazzy’s back. “You can tell me anything.”

Jazzy was quiet. “I know.”

Rose looked at her expectantly, before a hunch entered her mind.

“Was it Carter?”

Jazzy was quiet a few moments more.

“Why would he do that to you? Did you… Do something?”

Jazzy looked at her, and her eyes were sorrowful. “He was saying things about you. Bad things.”

Rose blinked. “What?”

“He was at your tree with his friends, at recess. I heard him calling you things like— Like the T-slur, the F-slur, nothing good.”

Rose didn’t say anything, she just wanted to listen. Jazzy placed her hands on either side of the sink in front of her, and leaned on it, staring into the drain.

“So I— I got  _ angry _ , obviously, and confronted him about it. I told him off for saying those things, and he wouldn’t listen, which made me angrier, so I kept on telling him off and soon I was about yelling in his face and—”

“And he punched you?”

Jazzy furrowed her brow. She looked back up at Rose. She didn’t need to say anything. Her eyes told it all.

Something broke from within Rose. She knew it was her heart.

She had something she needed to do, but for now, she had a different mission.

Rose hugged Jazzy, and she hugged her tight. It took a minute before Jazzy wrapped her arms around her friend to hold her just as tight.

“I’m so, so, so sorry you got hurt because of my problems,” Rose said. “He never should’ve taken it this far. He’s going to pay, Jazz, I promise.”

Jazzy didn’t say anything. Rose felt her shoulder dampen.

#  **12:45 PM**

Rose wasn’t known as being one to get angry, no matter what. That changes today.

She knew just where to find him. She always did.

Around the back of the cafeteria building, Carter was at their tree with a group of four or five other guys. Rose recognized each of them, she’d gotten to know Carter’s friends when they first started dating.

They were even more asshole-ish to her than Carter was since she came out. Thankfully, she wasn’t here for them.

She strode her way up the hill with Carter in her sight at all times. She didn't falter her pace until she pushed through the group and faced him.

Carter was obviously surprised by her sudden appearance, but before he could say anything, Rose got her first words in.

“What the hell, Carter?!” she yelled at him, shocking all of the guys surrounding her.

“What—”

“You punched Jazzy?! You fucking  _ punched _ Jazzy?! What the fuck is wrong with you?! Why would you punch someone for standing up to you when you were the one being a dick?!”

“She wouldn't get out of my face—”

“I don't wanna hear that  _ bullshit! _ Carter, you can hurt me all you fucking want and I won't care, but you've crossed the fucking line. Jazzy is the only person that's been  _ nice _ to me all year. She's _ supported me _ and  _ loved me _ no matter what, something you never fucking did!”

“What the hell are you—”

“We're  _ done, _ Carter! I never want to see your ugly transphobic douchebag ass  _ again! _ ” Rose spun on her heel and began to walk off.

“ **Bryan** , no, wait—” Carter grabbed for Rose's wrist, and she stopped in her tracks.

She turned to look at him again. “It's  _ Rose. _ ” her voice was firm and sure. “Don't fucking touch me.”

She shook his hand off her wrist and quickly walked away. She heard one of the other boys quietly say,  _ “Daaamn.” _

Rose didn't stop walking until she reached the library. When she was inside, she collapsed against the wall. Her heart was beating a million miles a minute. Her breathing was shaky. She felt like she was dying.

She never felt more alive.


	15. In Scrap Remembrance

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> <3

#  **June 1st, 2029**

#  **7:28 PM**

“Rose… Why didn’t you tell us?”

Rose hated seeing the hurt on her dads’ faces, but she couldn’t avoid it any longer. She knew this would affect how they reacted to her dating life in the future, but right now, she couldn’t care less. Whatever happens, happens.

“I was scared,” Rose said. “I thought maybe Carter would either come to his senses and realize that this is who I am, or… Maybe I just wasn’t ready to let go so suddenly. I knew you guys would have told me to dump him right away, maybe even confront him about it. That was the thing I was terrified of.”

Ethan and Tyler looked at each other. Tyler faced his daughter once more, and raised a hand to cup her cheek.

“You…” Tyler whispered. Rose didn’t know if the moisture in his eyes was normally there or tears. “You’re so… Strong.”

“Ew, what?” Rose felt uncomfortable, in a funny teenager way. She didn’t like having these gross touchy-feely moments with them as much anymore, even though this one was needed.

Ethan covered his mouth for a second, looking to the side. He inhaled, and said, “I can’t believe he hit you.”

“Middle school boys do funny things.”

“This isn’t…” Ethan looked at her. “What made you finally break things off?”

“He… He hurt Jazzy.”

Tyler and Ethan looked at her. “How so?” Tyler asked.

“She was defending me when I wasn’t at school for my appointment cause he was being a douche, and he socked her in the eye.”

“Jesus Christ,” Ethan whispered. “Do her moms know?”

“Honestly, I don’t know,” Rose said. “But probably not. She might have brushed it off as a dodgeball fight in gym class gone wrong or something, even though we haven’t played dodgeball in school in like ten years.”

“We… We need to tell them, right?” Ethan looked at his husband.

“It’s the right thing to do, I think.”

Rose wasn’t sure how Jazzy’s moms would handle the news, seeing as she’d never met them, but it’s not like their going to ground her or anything, right? Rose didn’t feel scared of that.

“I’m glad I never have to see Carter again,” Rose spoke up. “Hurting Jazzy was the last thing I would ever let him get away with. I deserve better than him, anyway.”

She didn’t fully believe her own words, but she knew come time that she would. Jazzy told her that saying it to herself would boost her self-worth, something that Carter shattered months ago.

Wow. Perhaps she _did_ deserve better than him. A lot better.

#  **July 5th, 2029**

#  **11:09 AM**

Rose really cherished moments like these in the summer. Sitting out in the backyard with Ethan and Tyler, laying in the lush and freshly-cut green grass, listening to Tyler’s radio station while he grilled hamburgers for lunch, Ethan tending to the garden and the sun shining bright with no clouds blocking its rays.

Summer mornings were always her favorite, and now she could lie in the grass a little more comfortable this year particularly, which felt amazing in so many ways she couldn’t express.

She sat up, taking handfuls of grass and letting them go to float in the breeze. She watched her dad water the african daisies for a minute before saying out of the blue, “I’ve recently been interested in learning how to play the ukulele.”

Ethan looked at her curiously. “Really?”

Tyler didn’t tear his eyes off the burgers. “Ethan used to play the ukulele.”

“I know, that’s why I brought it up.”

“How— What do you mean you know?!” Ethan asked.

“I found an old one with your name carved into it in the attic.”

“What were you doing in the attic?”

“Maybe you could teach her how to play, Eth,” Tyler said.

“But I haven’t played in, like, years. I may as well have forgotten what a ukulele looks like.”

“Lies,” Tyler said. “Rose, go get your father’s ukulele from the attic, since you wanna learn so badly.”

Rose did just that, and it took her a good fifteen minutes to find the instrument again in the attic. It was covered head to toe in dust and cobwebs. “Ew.”

She brought it back out, and by now Ethan was observing Tyler’s grilling. She heard them talking about how Tyler was such a dad in the way that he loved to grill.

“Found it!” she sang. Ethan gazed at the ukulele she held with clear disdain.

“Are you sure you actually wanna play?” Ethan asked. “You could teach yourself, you know. The internet has tons of shit on instruments.”

“That’s one for the swear jar,” Tyler said absentmindedly, not tearing his eyes away from the grill. God, he _was_ such a dad.

“You right,” Rose said. “But I’d like it if you’d teach me a lesson or two before I turn to the internet. Please?”

Ethan looked at his daughter, then the instrument in her grasp. “Fine. But only how to hold it and play the strings.”

#  **July 13th, 2029**

#  **1:21 PM**

It ended up being more than just that.

After Ethan had held the ukulele for the first time in years, everything he knew before, though rusty, came back to him. And he enjoyed it.

Shortly after, he bought Rose a uke of her own. Now they played together while Tyler made lunch either on the grill or in the kitchen with the window above the sink open. He loved listening to them.

On this particular Friday, however, Ethan could tell Rose had something on her mind. Something she wanted to ask.

Before he brought it up, though, she’d spoke.

“Why’d you stop playing?”

Ethan looked at her. “What?”

“The ukulele. When I found it, it actually looked like it was gonna merge with the attic floor or something. Maybe turn to dust if I touched it. You weren’t lying when you said you hadn’t played in a while. Why?”

Ethan looked at her, then averted his eyes to stare at the flowers across the way in the garden. The instrument was irritably warm under his touch. His fingers weren’t yet calloused again, so they were also heated. His body felt uncomfortable. But his mind was focused elsewhere.

“I used to play all the time for her.” Ethan’s voice sounded distant. Rose could tell. “I used to bring her out here and play songs for her all day until bedtime. I’d wind down the day by playing lullabies for her before putting her into her crib for the night.”

“Charlotte?”

Ethan inhaled at the sound of the name. “Yeah.”

“Did she like it?”

Ethan recalled Charlotte’s curious gazes and giggles and she toddled around in the grass. Back then the garden was smaller. The yard was bigger for her to play in. She loved being outside. A sad smile crept up on his face, his eyes twinkling with remembrance. “She did. She loved it. And so did I. I wouldn’t have had things any other way between us.”

Rose always had questions about Charlotte, the little sister she never got to meet. All she really knew was that she’d died of pneumonia at two years old, but that was it. She never got the courage to ask, seeing as her dads clearly had never gotten over it. She could see it the first day she met Ethan. Though young and spry, as a child Rose was observant. She remembered seeing Ethan’s eyes for the first time, tired and unmotivated. His body was there in the store aisle, but his mind was somewhere else entirely. He was practically a moving corpse, brought back to life only when running into a young child trying to buy soup.

Rose had never seen Charlotte, she realized. Obviously not in real life, but in photos. She’d looked around the hung frames in the halls, but all were of Tyler, Ethan, Tyler and Ethan, Chica, Mark and Chica, Mark, Mark and Amy, Kathryn and Ethan, Marcus, Rose, and the five adults all together with Chica in a group photo. No sign of a toddler. She wondered what she looked like.

“Do you have any pictures of her?” Rose asked. Ethan’s eyes went the smallest bit wider. He looked at her. “I’ve never seen what Charlotte looked like. There aren’t any pictures of her hung up. Do you have any?”

Ethan was quiet, before placing his instrument beside his lap on the grass and standing up, brushing his pants. “We do.”

Rose left her own uke in the grass as well, eagerly following her father into the house. Tyler was putting dishes from the dishwasher away, and eyed his family questionably as they passed through the kitchen. Ethan lead Rose up the stairs, into their room, and opened their large walk-in closet. The closet had shelves with towels and pillowcases and sheets folded in them. Ethan kneeled down, and reached into the bottom shelf, picking up a stack of washcloths. This stack in hand, he reached in with his other arm, and pulled out a book. He put the fabrics back in the cubby, and Rose followed him out of the room, down the stairs, to the dining room. Rose sat at the head of the table, Ethan sitting next to her. He placed the book on the tabler where Rose could read what the cover said.

In different-colored and sparkly letter stickers, **_Charlotte Scheid_ ** graced the front of the book, with little golden butterflies and sunflowers decorating the rest of the space. Rose stared at it.

“A scrapbook?” she asked. “For real?”

“For real,” Ethan said. “Before you complain, we can make one for you. We made this one after she died, so.”

“How many pictures are in here?”

“Lots. All of them.”

Rose was anxious to open it. It wasn’t hard to see her excitement. Ethan flipped open the cover to the first page. A white paper with a paragraph written on it. Thinking back to all the school trip permission slips and syllabi and excuses, she recognized it as Tyler’s handwriting.

_**My Charlotte,** _   
_**You didn’t deserve what this world had in store for you. You were young, loving, cuddly, happy, and brought joy to everyone you met. Your hugs were the best in the world. You were warm and greeted every day with a smile. We’ll never forget your smile and your laugh and all the little dresses you loved to wear. Chica still looks around for you when she comes to the house. Even if we had a way of telling her you were gone, I don’t think we would. Not a day will go by where we don’t think about you. It would be hard to forget the little girl that made our lives worth living. I’m so, so sorry you’ll never get to grow up. You’ll never go to school, make friends, graduate, fall in love, and live your life to the fullest. Every day I regret not watching you grow.** _   
_**We love you, and miss you so, so much.** _

_**~T+E** _

Rose could tell already that this was a lot harder on them than it would appear, but this text made her wonder if she was ready to see pictures of a child that was no longer with them. Could she even handle the dated emotional baggage that would come with? She wasn’t sure. But her curiosity was strong.

Ethan turned the page, and the first photo sheet contained three pictures. _**Parents** _ was written at the top. Pictures of Ethan and Tyler on their wedding day. Rose had seen only one picture from their wedding day, and these were different. The one she’d seen was them sitting on a couch together at the afterparty. In one picture, Ethan wore a white fitted suit with a black bow tie, smiling with an arm slung around Kathryn’s shoulders. Kathryn, who wore a dark purple ball gown with her hair in a bun, little strands of hair framing her face on both sides. In another, Tyler wore a black structured suit and tie, and accompanying him was Mark in a grey suit and tie with a hand on Tyler’s shoulder, and Amy smiling in a velvet-colored sundress on the opposite side, an arm behind Tyler’s torso and the other on his chest. The third picture showed Tyler and Ethan’s ceremony.

_Wow. They look so… Happy._

Tyler’s hand held Ethan’s arm at the elbow, and Ethan did the same. With their opposing hands, the ones closer to the camera, they had intertwined them. On the left side, near Ethan, Kathryn was watching them excitedly. On the other side, near Tyler, Mark had a similar expression. Tyler and Ethan were in love, and this picture showed it.

Rose glanced at Ethan, and caught him grinning slightly at the pictures.

He turned the page again, and there she was. A large photo of a small infant asleep in a crib covered the page. The baby’s skin was light, and short curly brown hair coiled on her head. She wore a white-footed onesie with a… What was that? Rose thought it looked like a pink flower, but the petals were flat instead of round and there was no stem. Ethan must have seen her looking confused, focused on the onesie. He pointed to the design.

“That’s a crank gear.”

“That’s… An interesting design choice. Why… Why a crank gear?”

“Eh, reference to the good days.”

Rose didn’t understand what he meant, at _all_ , but she didn’t ask anything more.

The two flipped through the scrapbook for twenty more minutes looking at varying photos of Charlotte leading up to the few days before she grew sick. Eventually they reached an empty page.

Ethan, who had been smiling in memorial throughout the book, went silent. His face dropped.

“We never got to finish this,” Ethan said. “Didn’t have enough pictures.”

Rose looked at him.

“God, why didn’t we take enough pictures?” he muttered under his breath, almost too quiet for Rose to hear.

Ethan didn’t say anything else as he flipped to the inside of the back cover. Rose felt like she was punched in the gut.

A square picture of a grave was glued to the inside. Both the tombstone and the text above the photo read “Charlotte Scheid. July 30th, 2019 — August 6th, 2021.”

Neither of them spoke. Tyler’s radio on the windowsill and the quiet noises of dishware clinking against each other from the kitchen was all that was heard.

Ethan closed the scrapbook. “I’m sorry we didn’t show this to you before. I know you’ve always been curious about Charlotte.”

“It’s okay.” Rose placed a hand on top of his. “I know that this isn’t the happiest thing to think about.”

“It’s not okay, really,” Ethan said. “You deserve to know more about your little sister than we told you. And it’s been ten years, it doesn’t hurt nearly as much anymore. If you ever have any questions, you can ask.”

_It doesn’t hurt nearly as much anymore._

Rose didn’t believe it entirely, but she nodded.


	16. Nights Like These

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> not the proudest of this one, i think it's super messy :(
> 
> either way, you get to officially meet Marcus!!
> 
> NOTE: this chapter's plot was heavily inspired by an episode of the Netflix show Alexa and Katie.

#  **June 10th, 2029**

#  **2:12 AM**

He felt horrible. When he went to sleep he was hoping it’d go away, but now he’s in the bathroom, hunched over the toilet. Every time he vomited he couldn't help but cry. Crying made it worse. His head pounded. The small hospital bathroom seemed to swirl around him, making him dizzy. He vomited again.

“Jack, call for the nurse,” he heard his father say in a hushed tone before he came behind him again in the bathroom. “Breathe. Breathe. It’ll be okay.”

God, why was it so hot in here? Or maybe it was just him. His throat felt dry, and the horrid taste left over from being sick lingered in his mouth, making him queasy. Again he bent over the toilet.

His father laid a hand on his back and gently patted him, as if to reassure him somehow. It was slightly comforting at least to have him with him, even if there wasn’t much his dad could do. The patting turned into gentle rubbing.

A sudden wave of emotion took hold of him. He felt so sick, so dizzy, so hot. There was a ringing in his ears now, and the room was still spinning. He felt tired, and angry. He just wanted to sleep. He began to sob, and banged one of his fists against the floor. He rested his forehead against the toilet seat. He was miserable. Why couldn’t all of this stop?

He felt his dad hug him from behind, and after a moment, was sitting on the ground, cradling Marcus in his arms as he spoke to him softly. Marcus cried into his chest.

“Shhh… It’s okay, pal. It’ll be okay, breathe.”

The door to the room opened, and Marcus could see the un-natural light from the hallway flood in.

“He’s been so sick the past few hours, are we sure this is normal?” he heard his papa ask to the doctor who accompanied him, his voice sounding panicked. It was a question Marcus wasn’t meant to hear, but when he did, his heart dropped to the pit of his already uneasy stomach. What if something was going wrong?

“No need to worry, Mr.McLoughlin, this is perfectly normal, unfortunately. These are all side affects to the chemotherapy.” 

Marcus violently pulled away from Mark's hold on him, and threw up again. The doctor came in, and said something to his dad that Marcus couldn’t make out over the ringing in his ears. All he knew was that for the moment, any nausea he had, had finally passed. A moment later, his dad helped him up, and helped Marcus stumble back to his bed. Once situated, a nurse came in, helped clean up his face, gave him something to drink, and hooked him up with some fluids. Marcus didn’t question anything until she took a needle from her silver cart she’d rolled in and began to fiddle with his IV.

“What… What is…?” he was so tired, his throat still dry and sore, that he could hardly get out a complete sentence. The nurse looked at him though with a motherly gaze and smiled warmly.

“It’s just some medicine, dear. It’ll help with the nausea.” It took all the energy he had left to listen carefully to every word she said, and after she spoke, he nodded weakly to let her know he understood. After administering the medicine, the nurse smiled warmly at him again as she patted his arm before she and her silver cart, rolled out of the room.

The doctor was still in the room, talking to his fathers in hushed tones. Their voices sounded serious, and Marcus wondered what they might be talking about. But he was tired, and with the feeling of nausea gone, sleep quickly pulled at him until he finally gave in. He fell asleep to the beeping of his heart monitor, the dripping of his IV, and the muffled but serious tone of his fathers conversing with the doctor.

“Thank you, Doctor,” Mark said, his voice heavy and tired. The doctor gave him a forced smile and patted his shoulder before he left. Jack’s head rested on his chest, and after the doctor left, Mark gently kissed the top of his head as he rubbed his back. Both men stared silently at their sleeping son, who under the neon lights of the room, seemed to appear more sickly. His face was drained of color, his eyes had bags underneath them, and his cheeks had grown more hollow. Seeing him again in a hospital bed, attached to all sorts of machines and equipment was… Hard, to say the least.

Mark roughly rubbed his eyes with his free hand, in a fruitless attempt to keep himself from breaking down.

“What are we going to do?” he asked softly, his voice shaking. Jack said nothing, only continued to stare unblinkingly at their son. His breathing was just as shaky though, and Mark knew that like himself, Jack was doing everything he could not to fall apart.

“I… Don’t know,” he said finally, his voice just barely a whisper.

The two allowed silence to fill the room again. Except it wasn’t really silence. The beeping of the heart monitor filled their ears, as did the drip of the fluids attached to their son’s IV. They could hear quiet voices outside the room as well as footsteps, and the sound of parents in the room next door to theirs, talking as Jack and Mark were. In silence.

Mark closed his eyes, as he drew in a long breath. He wanted to be anywhere else but here. He dreaded the sounds that filled his ears, the neon lights that hung up above them. He hated the smell that was almost too clean, and the tension that hung in the air between him and Jack. It was overwhelming. All of it. He felt as if… As if he were drowning.

Of course, whenever he caught himself feeling this way, he asked himself about how his boy must feel. He was the one who was sick. He was the one who was going through all of this. But… Mark was also his father. And as a parent, it was hard for him to see his child suffer. His heart felt constantly heavy these days, with a sense of fear, dread, and sadness only a parent who fears for the life of their child can understand. It added to the feeling of drowning.

He sighed heavily and opened his eyes. It was then that he felt the trembling next to him, and when he looked at his husband, he found him silently sobbing. Jack was shaking horribly, tears streaming down his face as he bit his lip, keeping any sounds of his distress hidden this way.

“Hey,” Mark said quietly as he wrapped the arm draped across Jack’s shoulder’s tighter to hold him closer. “Hey, shhh, it’s alright.”

“I’m sorry,” Jack choked out as he quickly wiped his face. “It’s just… It’s a lot.”

“I know,” Mark said as Jack buried his wet face into the crook of his neck.

He hated nights like these.

#  **July 16th, 2029**

#  **4:18 PM**

Marcus was looking forward to summer more than anyone else, but this certainly wasn’t it.

He was sat up in his bed, staring at the wall. His nausea had come back, like it always does, but if he focused on something long enough and waited it out, it’d go away.

School had been a nightmare since his leukemia had come back and he started chemo. He didn’t like wearing wigs, and as soon as his hair fell out everyone knew he was sick. And they were nice to him. Oh, god, they were nice to him. Not in a good way. In a sickening way. He felt worse for it. By the time school ended, they were treating him like a blind dog. At least now in his room, he could breathe.

That week spent in the hospital in June didn’t give his summer the best first impression. But cancer sucks.

He felt his nausea ease away, like normal, and blinked. How long had he been staring at the wall? He knew from experience that the time range varied. Sometimes he’d be unresponsive for just a few minutes, other times it’d been at least a few hours. He would never remember anything that happened when he was staring at the wall.

He was hungry now, so he threw his blanket off his legs and went downstairs. He looked at the clock. 4PM. So he’d stared at the wall for a good three hours. Great.

He looked around, and found Jack sitting on the couch in the living room, writing. Marcus grabbed a hot pocket and threw it in the microwave before entering the room and plopping down next to his papa on the sofa.

“Where’s dad?”

“Out at work,” Jack said. He looked up from what looked like bills in his hand. “Good to see you up.”

“He’s never around anymore.” Marcus groaned. “Why do they make him work so much?”

“They don’t.” Jack returning to writing. “He just works overtime.”

“I don’t… What?” Marcus said. “Why would he do that?”

Jack didn’t answer for a second. “The hospital bills are expensive, Marcus.”

Marcus didn’t respond to that. He heard the microwave beep. He got up from the couch, grabbed his lunch, and returned to his bed. He’d stay there for the rest of the day.

#  **July 20th, 2029**

#  **9:12 PM**

Marcus didn’t plan this, clearly. He was being sloppy. But here he was, running from the convenience store clerk, holding a bag of items he didn’t bother paying for.

About two blocks down, he couldn’t run anymore. And a police car was catching up to him.

#  **11:29 PM**

The ride home was silent. Mark was clearly angry. But he didn’t say anything.

They’d gotten home, and Marcus sat on the couch. Mark stood in front of him.

“What were you thinking?!”

Marcus looked up at his dad. He was hopeful. “I don’t know. Just felt like taking it.”

“You—” Mark said, cutting himself off. He pinched the bridge of his nose and sat next to Marcus. He looked at his son for a moment, not speaking. He sighed. “Just… Don’t you dare do it again.”

Mark got up, and went upstairs. Marcus watched him go. He was filled to the brim with disbelief.

#  **April 20th, 2029**

#  **4:21 PM**

He wasn’t exactly anticipating giving this interim report card to his father, but he couldn’t really avoid it.

As soon as Marcus entered the house, card in hand, Mark called to him from the living room. “Marcus?”

“I’m here, dad,” he said, kicking off his shoes and walking towards the voice.

“Did you get a report card today?” It’s like he could read his mind.

“Yeah.” Marcus handed him the paper. Mark scanned over the low grades.

“These are all C’s and D’s, Marcus.”

“Y—Yeah, I guess they are.” Marcus wasn’t there, mentally. He was tired. He awaited the punishment so he could go upstairs and nap. Any punishment, really. Maybe grounding, maybe no phone for a week. He didn’t care right now.

Mark folded the paper back up, and rested his chin on the backs of his hands. He was in thought, Marcus could tell.

“You better get these grades up before the next report, okay?” he said, handing it back.

Marcus looked at the paper in his hand, and at his dad. “Is— Wait— What?”

Mark looked at him. “What?”

“Is— Is that it? That’s all you’re gonna say? That can’t be it.”

Mark didn’t say anything for a second. “Do you have homework?”

“I— Yeah?”

“Go do it.” Mark turned and left the room, going upstairs. Marcus heard his door close.

Marcus stood there a moment. He didn’t notice how long before his phone rang. He jumped at the device vibrating, before picking up.

“Hello?”

“Hey, hey, hey, Marcus,” Jazzy’s voice came through the other end. “Adrian and I were planning on going to get froyo in a bit, do you wanna come?”

“Why didn’t you just text me that?”

“Good question.”

She didn’t lead anything with that. Marcus couldn’t help but chuckle.

“Yeah, sure. I mean, my grades are shit, but apparently I’m not grounded.”

“What?” she asked. “Impossible. Did something happen, or—?”

“No,” he said. “I— I don’t think so? My dad just… Didn’t punish me.”

“That’s weird.”

“I can’t think of any reason why.”

“Hmm,” he heard his friend hum over the phone. “Oh. I— Oh.”

“What?”

“Nothing. I just had a— A bad thought. You know.”

“What thought?”

“Ah, I don’t— Well— I’m not saying this is the case, but what if it’s because… What if it’s because of the, uh— The— The cancer?”

Marcus blinked.

“Sorry, I didn’t—”

Marcus hung up. “I think you’re right.” he said out loud.

He suddenly got very angry.

#  **July 24th, 2029**

#  **10:49 PM**

“Rose, hurry up!”

Rose nervously parked her bike in the bushes. Tons of cars drove past them on the highway.

“Marcus, are you sure this is—?”

“You ask too many questions,” Marcus asked. He reached into the bushes, and lugged out a long wooden ladder he had brought up here earlier. Rose ran to help him prop it up on the billboard’s ledge. He immediately began climbing. Rose watched him anxiously. 

As soon as he reached the ledge, he motioned impatiently for Rose to follow. She hesitated, before stepping onto the ladder. She was slower than him, but eventually she made it there. She sat down, and clung to the billboard.

“Are you afraid of heights?” he asked, placing his backpack down and unzipping the large pocket.

“I— I didn’t realize till now, haha.” Rose laughed nervously.

“Whatever, just be on the lookout for cops,” Marcus said as he pulled three spray paint cans out of the bag, placing them a little close to the edge. He grabbed the black one, and started shaking it.

Rose was whimpering loudly. She was terrified. What if they got caught? Would she go to jail? Oh god, what would Tyler and Ethan say? What the hell were they doing up here?

Her thoughts went out of control fast, and her whining became too much for Marcus quickly. He spun around to shush her, and ended up knocking his cans off the ledge.

“Oh, fucking— Great,” he grumbled. He kept shaking the black one in his hand.

Rose eyed the paint, before grabbing for it. She tore it out of his hands. “We can’t do this.”

“What? You’re backing out on me now?”

“I don’t want you to go to jail, Marcus,” she said, tossing the can down with the others. Marcus yelled as she did so. “This time it’ll be for real, I think.”

“Oh, for the love of—”

“I’m getting down from here, I can’t—”

Rose propped herself up on her hands and knees to get onto the ladder.

But, oh, lucky them.

Her feet knocked the ladder.

And it fell into the bushes.

Marcus watched it fall, and Rose spun around, sitting down again.

“Rose, what the fuck— I can’t believe—!”

Rose screamed. “We’re stuck! I— We’re fucking— We’re fucking STUCK, Marcus, holy shit, fuck, I didn’t—”

“Oh my god, calm down— I— Do you have your phone?”

Rose nodded, reaching for the backpack. She unzipped a smaller pouch and pulled her phone out. “Who do you want me to call?”

“I— Ah, uh— Maybe call Jazzy? I don’t know.”

Rose nodded, quickly opening Jazzy’s contact and calling her. “Jazzy?”

“Wassup, bitch?” Jazzy replied over the phone.

“We need your help.”

“You sound nervous. What happened?”

“Marcus and I were gonna deface a billboard but then the paint cans fell and I threw his other paint can on the ground and apparently I’m afraid of heights and then I knocked the ladder onto the ground and now we’re stuck up here and oh god please help us—”

“Rose, Rose, holy shit.” Jazzy said. “Where are you?”

“On the side of the highway outside of the neighborhood near the high school, I think.”

“Okay, holy fuck, okay, I’ll tell your d—”

The phone went quiet. Rose blinked.

“Jazzy?”

She looked at her phone. The screen was black. She pressed the power button, and a battery image popped up.

“Oh, FUCK ME.”

“What? What happened?”

“MY FUCKING PHONE DIED.”

Marcus looked at her. “I am so close to punching you right now.”

Rose held her phone in front of her face. “Please don’t.”

“You’re pushing me over the edge, Rose.”

“What are we gonna do?” Rose asked.

“Jazzy’s probably on the way with someone right now. At least she knows where we are, right?” Marcus sat down next to his cousin.

Rose held his arm tightly. “You right. I’m still scared out of my mind, though.”

Marcus didn’t say anything. He rested his head on hers. “I just wish he didn’t take so much fucking pity on me.”

“Who, Mark?”

Marcus watched the cars drive by, the people in the front seats not noticing them up there. Figures. Nobody looks at billboards anyway. “As if the kids at school treating me like a fucking cinnamon roll bean child wasn’t gross enough, now my own dad isn’t punishing me for doing shit that’s clearly my own fault.”

Rose looked at him. “Sounds like heaven, dude.”

Marcus laughed. “Trust me, when you have cancer and every day you’re just happy to wake up, it’s not.”

They were quiet for a while. Marcus didn’t know how long. Maybe twenty, thirty minutes? Marcus never really knew what time was if he didn’t have a clock with him.

Eventually, a car on the highway slowed and spun onto the grass next to the road. A minute later, the ladder was perched back up on the ledge.

Rose gasped loudly in relief, instantly letting go of Marcus, and climbing down the ladder. Marcus watched her leave. He didn’t move.

On the ground, Rose saw Tyler, Ethan, Mark, Jack, Jazzy, and her mom, Stacy. Rose hopped off the ladder and Tyler and Ethan hugged her tight.

Jack watched them. “Is Marcus up there?”

“Yeah,” Rose said. “But, uh. I think Mark should go talk to him.”

Mark blinked. “I— I uh, okay?”

Mark began his way up the ladder, and Jazzy rushed to grab Rose’s arm.

“Dude, you look like you’re about to die, are you okay?”

“I didn’t realize I had a fear of heights until tonight,” Rose said. She swallowed. “Also I’m parched.”

Stacy rushed over to the car, opening the door and rummaging around before throwing a water bottle to Rose. She closed the door and said, “Drink up, dear.”

“Thanks, Miss Hinojosa.”

Mark reached the top of the ladder. Marcus didn’t look at him.

“Hey, Marcus.”

It was silent between them. Mark sat next to his son.

“Marcus, I don’t understand. Why would you go all this way to do something like this?”

“I just want things to go back to normal between us.”

Mark was a little shocked by his child’s sudden words. “What do you mean?”

Marcus shifted slightly. He looked at his dad. “Before the cancer came back, you were always nagging me about how I needed good grades and good behavior to prepare for my future. But now… Now it seems like you don’t think I have one.”

Mark looked at him, surprised, Marcus gazed back down at the highway.

Mark pulled him in for a tight hug.

“It’s not that I don’t think you have a future, Marcus,” he said, his voice wavering. “I’m just… I’d hate myself if I got mad at you for something and you’d be in the hospital throwing up again right after. I’m sorry if I made it feel like that. I’m so, so fucking sorry. I love you so much. I don’t want you to ever forget that.”

Marcus was close to crying. He hugged back, letting the tears spill over.

“I love you too, Dad.”

Mark pulled away, pointing at Marcus threateningly. “But don’t you ever go pulling shit like this  _ ever  _ again. No internet for a month.”

As much as he disliked that punishment, at least it was made. Marcus nodded, hugging his dad again. “Okay.”

Mark helped him down the ladder, and Jack hugged his son tightly. Jazzy, on the other hand, yelled at him for being stupid and dragging Rose with him. Stacy pat her shoulder after a minute to tell her to wrap it up.

During the drive home, the car was cramped with so many people. Despite this, Rose and Marcus had no trouble falling asleep.

Marcus didn’t get into any more trouble following that night.


	17. Fake Candles

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> it's 1:30 am and i have an exam tomorrow but i just finished reading a really good fanfic and my heart is currently mending so in my healing state take this :))
> 
> alternate title to this one was "Somehow Our Family And Friends Know Each Other But We've Never Met Before Tonight"

#  **March 31, 2030**

#  **6:24 PM**

“It’s gonna be cold outside,” Tyler said, walking over with Rose’s coat in hand. “You should have this with you. Don’t lose it.”

“Is your phone charged?” Ethan asked.

“Yes, it’s charged,” Rose replied, shrugging her coat over her shoulders.

“How long is this thing gonna be again? Like two hours?”

“Yeah,” Tyler replied.

“If  _ anything _ , and I mean  _ anything _ happens, you call us at once, you understand?” Ethan instructed.

“ _ Daaad, _ ” Rose groaned. “I’ll be fine.”

“Okay, okay, I know,” Ethan said. He sighed. “I know. Sorry, Tiger, I just don’t want anything to go awry. You know how some of the people in this city are…”

“I know,” Rose said. “But I’ll be okay. I’ll be with a big group.”

“Alright.” Tyler zipped Rose’s jacket for her. “Last chance if you don’t wanna go, cause we’re leaving.”

“Okay.” Rose gave Ethan a quick kiss on cheek. “Bye, Dad! Love you!”

“Love you too,” Ethan said. “Be careful.”

“I will, promise.” With that, Rose followed Tyler out the door.

#  **7:02 PM**

Rose didn’t blame Ethan for being worried. He had plenty of reasons to be. For one, his first child died young.  _ Young _ young.

Secondly, this was a march to commemorate Transgender Day of Visibility. And not everyone is too keen on that.

Rose herself couldn’t say she was entirely unafraid, but she knew that these things needed to be done.

Tyler had left about ten minutes before a woman called everyone’s attention. Chatter died down, and the medium-sized crowd of young adults and teens looked on at the speaker.

“Hello, everyone,” the woman spoke. “Thank you all for joining us today to celebrate Transgender Day of Visibility. We will be walking as a group down to the West Angeles Cathedral to hold a memorial. If you could follow me and my cluster here, we will begin our trip.”

And they were off. Rose walked in front of and behind many pairs of friends chatting with each other, and she admired the city as they made their way down the sidewalks. Her previous worries of any bad happening had faded, and she felt okay. She noticed that many members of the group were holding fake candles that were lit. She didn’t have one.

Rose was busy looking at these candles when suddenly someone tapped her shoulder. She turned her head to see a boy with half-shaven hair dyed pastel purple holding two candles.

“Hey, I found one of these on the ground. I think you were supposed to get one but it didn’t get to you?” He looked about her age, and she took the candle, switching it on.

“Thanks.”

He nodded. He didn’t speak for a moment. “Hey, I don’t know anyone here. Can I walk with you?”

“Oh, sure.”

The boy smiled and strolled alongside her. “I’m Adrian.”

“Rose.”

“Rose?” Adrian looked at her. “Sounds familiar. Are you friends with a Jazzy Hinojosa-Mills by chance?”

“Yeah! Are you?”

“Yeah, she’s a good friend,” Adrian said. “Can’t believe we haven’t met before.”

“Me neither. I can tell if Jazzy puts up with you then you must be good people.”

“I’d consider myself as such.”

The two continued chatting for the next few minutes. This guy was funny. Rose could tell why Jazzy hangs around him.

#  **8:19 PM**

Over an hour passed and the memorial wasn’t close to ending. Rose listened intently to every name the woman announced, every cause of death, and even volunteered to walk up to the podium read some of them to everyone herself. When she wasn’t up there, she sat in the pews next to Adrian.

The memorial, in summary, was basically to remember transgender people who died of transphobic hate crimes from varying countries within the past year. Rose, the more she listened, realized just how dangerous living as a transgender person could be in some of these less-developed countries.

It was kind of terrifying.

But before she would get in too deep with fear, she felt Adrian’s arm brush against hers. She held her breath, and grabbed Adrian’s hand. She felt him jump a little.

“That was a little faster than I was anticipating, but I’m not complaining,” he whispered.

“Sorry,” she replied. “I’m just a little nauseous.”

“It’s fine.”

They sat there in silence for a moment, listening to more names. Then Rose shifted uncomfortably in her seat.

“Are your hands always this sweaty?” she asked. She saw Adrian’s face brighten from her peripheral vision.

“I, oh— No! No. I don’t think so. If they are, no one’s ever told me about it…” Adrian replied, his voice low as to not interrupt the memorial. “Sorry. If it’s bothering you, then…”

She felt his grip loosen.

“It’s okay, dude, just took me by surprise,” she said, squeezing his hand lightly. She let go and allowed him to wave his palms dry.

What he didn’t expect was for her to hold her hand out again. He took it, and took a breath.

This. This was cool. Yeah. He liked this.

#  **8:56 PM**

The memorial had drawn to its end, and everyone had left the church pews in a messy crowded line. Adrian had walked ahead of Rose, but their hands remained interlocked, and he tugged her forth until they reached a bigger, more spacious room. There, they continued their banter from before the memorial, during the walk, as they waited for their parents to come pick them up.

It felt like forever had passed as other kids had left and the room became less populated, but Rose didn’t mind. Talking with Adrian made it okay.

Soon enough, though, Rose received a text from Tyler, saying he was outside.

“Yo, my dad’s here.”

“Oh, okay. Hey, real quick, gimme your phone.”

“Okay?” Rose obeyed, and watched as the boy typed something into her phone before handing it back. “What was that?”

“You have my number now.”

“Very bold of you,” Rose said, taking her phone and stuffing it in her back pocket. “But thanks. I’ll be sure to text.”

“Cool. Night, Rose.”

“Bye, Adrian.”

Rose made her way outside, and surely enough, Tyler was pulled up front, waiting in the car.

“Hey, Tiger,” Tyler said with a smile as his daughter climbed in the passenger seat. “How was the march?”

Rose wore a small grin that she couldn’t hold down for some reason. “It was good.”

“Glad to hear it.”

They began driving home, but it’d take about half an hour. The entire way there, Rose couldn’t stop thinking about that Adrian kid.

Oh no.

#  **April 1st, 2030**

#  **6:01 PM**

**Group chat: ed edd n eddy but worse**

**Members: jazz hands, mr clean, ekelulu**

**6:01 P.M.**

**ekelulu** (Rose Scheid)  **said:**

guys I’m in troubl

helb

**mr clean** (Marcus Fischbach)  **said:**

What’s going on

**ekelulu** (Rose Scheid)  **said:**

I met this dude

and I think I’m crushing :(

**jazz hands** (Jasmine Hinojosa-Mills)  **said:**

SFGNJKLKJHGFVCB WHO

**ekelulu** (Rose Scheid) **said:**

jcmkksbkjsvdg I don’t know if I should tell bc you know him

**mr clean** (Marcus Fiscbach)  **said:**

Oh SHIT we goota know now

**jazz hands** (Jasmine Hinojosa-Mills)  **said:**

TELLK

**mr clean** (Marcus Fischbach)  **said:**

*gotta

**ekelulu** (Rose Scheid)  **said:**

but I haven’t seen him since the march last night

**jazz hands** (Jasmine Hinojosa-Mills)  **said:**

if it was at the march last night then DUH it was LAST NIGHT

**ekelulu** (Rose Scheid)  **said:**

jhgfdcfvbnjkjnhb but I was looking for him at school today and I didn’t see him

**mr clean** (Marcus Fischbach) **said:**

He has to go to our school if we know him though right?????

I think I have a guy in mind but Idk

**jazz hands** (Jasmine Hinojosa-Mills)  **said:**

yeah yeah

perhaps u should just tell us who it is smile emoji

**ekelulu** (Rose Scheid)  **said:**

ok ok

it’s a dude named Adrian

**jazz hands** (Jasmine Hinojosa-Mills)  **said:**

DFGHGFVGBNJBVNJHG

**mr clean** (Marcus Fischbach)  **said:**

Ohh that makes sense/

**jazz hands** (Jasmine Hinojosa-Mills)  **said:**

REAL SHIT ??

**ekelulu** (Rose Scheid)  **said:**

wdym it makes sense

**mr clean** (Marcus Fischbach)  **said:**

Adrian’s classes r all upstairs and he spends lunch outside

**ekelulu** (Rose Scheid)  **said:**

oh :(

yes real shit

**jazz hands** (Jasmine Hinojosa-Mills)  **said:**

jdgchchvcbvnfkfhfbcn i’ve never thought about the two of u before but that’s actually super cuter fjsvck

**mr clean** (Marcus Fischbach)  **said:**

Wait did he like mention us last night?

**ekelulu** (Rose Scheid) **said:**

he mentioned Jazz after i introduced myself

**mr clean** (Marcus Fischbach) **said:**

Yeah seems about right 😪👊

**jazz hands** (Jasmine Hinojosa-Mills) **said:**

he just loves me uwu

**mr clean** (Marcus Fischbach)  **said:**

Gross 😤😤

**ekelulu** (Rose Scheid)  **said:**

fkjjshchnvjvk

**jazz hands** (Jasmine Hinojosa-Mills)  **said:**

u two would be cute tbh 😳

**ekelulu** (Rose Scheid)  **said:**

kjhghjkiuhgfcdvghjjhg

thanks

but tbh after what happened with Carter last year I’m still a little cautious about that stuff u know :(

**jazz hands** (Jasmine Hinojosa-Mills)  **said:**

awe dude :((

**mr clean** (Marcus Fischbach)  **said:**

The good thing is there’s a difference here!!

I know Adrian and he’s a good dude trust us

He wouldn’t hurt you like that

**jazz hands** (Jasmine Hinojosa-Mills)  **said:**

ye

and even in the unlikely scenario where he did we’ll tag team him

**mr clean** (Marcus Fischbach)  **said:**

I love Rose and I wanna protect her from bad stuff but I don’t wanna physically fight Adrian Jazzy

**jazz hands** (Jasmine Hinojosa-Mills)  **said:**

ok i’ll fight him one-on-one

**ekelulu** (Rose Scheid)  **said:**

NO ONE IS FIGHTING ANYONE

**jazz hands** (Jasmine Hinojosa-Mills)  **said:**

if the risk of losing your honor is at hand then fighting will ensue

but it’s not likely to happen anyway so dw

**mr clean** (Marcus Fischbach)  **said:**

Yeah unlike a certain someone, Adrian wouldn’t sock Jazzy in the eye for being annoying 😳😳😳

**ekelulu** (Rose Scheid)  **said:**

Omfhjsg

**jazz hands** (Jasmine Hinojosa-Mills)  **said:**

we would know by now bc he has to put up with lots of my bullshit

**ekelulu** (Rose Scheid)  **said:**

oooof that must be a lot

**jazz hands** (Jasmine Hinojosa-Mills)  **said:**

!!!!!!!!!!! fuck you!!!!!!

**ekelulu** (Rose Scheid) **said:**

VGHJNBGH

**mr clean** (Marcus Fischbach)  **said:**

Ok you don't need to ask again

**jazz hands** (Jasmine Hinojosa-Mills)  **said:**

??

**mr clean** (Marcus Fischbach)  **said:**

I'll do it fine

**ekelulu** (Rose Scheid)  **said:**

what

**mr clean** (Marcus Fischbach)  **said:**

Okbrb

#  **6:38 PM**

Marcus knew being that mysterious before leaving the chat would greet him with many,  _ many _ frantic messages from Jazzy later on when he reopened it. He opened up a new chat and began typing away.

**Texting: chat noir uwu (Offline)**

**mr clean** (Marcus Fischbach)  **said:**

You sneaky sneaker!!

**chat noir uwu** (Adrian Garcia) **is now online.**

**chat noir uwu** (Adrian Garcia) **said:**

what?

**mr clean** (Marcus Fischbach)  **said:**

I thought it was the Bro Oath to always tell each other when a bro meets a pretty girl

**chat noir uwu** (Adrian Garcia)  **said:**

while that is true, I genuinely have no idea what you are talking about.

**mr clean** (Marcus Fischbach)  **said:**

APPARENTLY last night at an event you met a girl?????

**chat noir uwu** (Adrian Garcia)  **said:**

who spilled ?? >:(

**mr clean** (Marcus Fischbach)  **said:**

Not Important

**chat noir uwu** (Adrian Garcia)  **said:**

it is to me!

**mr clean** (Marcus Fischbach)  **said:**

What if I told you I know said girl

**chat noir uwu** (Adrian Garcia) **said:**

you What

**mr clean** (Marcus Fischbach)  **said:**

Yeh she kinda like my cousin but not actually

**chat noir uwu** (Adrian Garcia)  **said:**

what am I supposed to do with this information!

**mr clean** (Marcus Fischbach)  **said:**

Well ok what do u think of her first of all

**chat noir uwu** (Adrian Garcia)  **said:**

…

she’s cool.

**mr clean** (Marcus Fischbach)  **said:**

Is that all u have to say b/c I have to give u a full evaluation before letting u woo

**chat noir uwu** (Adrian Garcia)  **said:**

?? okay?

I mean she was really fun to talk to last night. very charming and funny and we held hands dude

she was super cute too. I’m guessing she goes to our school?

**mr clean** (Marcus Fischbach)  **said:**

Oh I am WHIPPED

Yes she’s our age bro

U’VE BEEN LACKING

**chat noir uwu** (Adrian Garcia)  **said:**

What

**mr clean** (Marcus Fischbach)  **said:**

She’s been hoping to run into u all day but ur stupid nerd ass is always upstairs doin some bullshit

**chait noir uwu** (Adrian Garcia)  **said:**

she was looking for me ??????

**mr clean** (Marcus Fischbach)  **said:**

Yeh dumbass

U must have really made an impression cause this is the first time she’s shown interest in a guy in a while

Don’t fuck it up

Do u want her number or anything

**chat noir uwu** (Adrian Garcia) **said:**

well I gave her my number last night

**mr clean** (Marcus Fischbach)  **said:**

And she hasn’t texted????? I will Be Right Back

**chat noir uwu** (Adrian Garcia)  **said:**

What

What are you doing

**chat noir uwu** (Adrian Garcia)  **said:**

Marcus answer me

**chat noir uwu** (Adrian Garcia)  **said:**

MARCUS

#  **7:21 PM**

**Texting: Adrian Garcia (+1 213-777-3287) (Online)**

**7:22 PM**

**ekelulu** (Rose Scheid)  **said:**

Hey Adrian

**Saved chat noir uwu to your contacts.**

**chat noir uwu** (Adrian Garcia)  **said:**

oh!! hi Rose

uhh what’s up??

**ekelulu** (Rose Scheid)  **said:**

sorry I’m just now texting lol

did Marcus go talk to you or something?

**chat noir uwu** (Adrian Garcia)  **said:**

oh don’t worry you’re fine!

yeah I didn’t know he was like, your cousin

**ekelulu** (Rose Scheid)  **said:**

asfdcvbhgfdcvbhgf he’s really not but loves to say he is

so wyd

**chat noir uwu has added you to their contacts.**

**chat noir uwu** (Adrian Garcia)  **said:**

Just talking to you

My mom’s cooking dinner tho so I might bounce to eat in a few minutes, fair warning

**ekelulu** (Rose Scheid)  **said:**

what she makin?

**chat noir uwu** (Adrian Garcia) **said:**

idk it smells like aijaco

**ekelulu** (Rose Scheid)  **said:**

i’ve never had that but it sounds yummy

**chat noir uwu** (Adrian Garcia)  **said:**

Oh it isss

If you want I can bring some leftover for you to try at lunch tomorrow

**ekelulu** (Rose Scheid)  **said:**

ooooh if you wouldn’t mind

**chat noir uwu** (Adrian Garcia)  **said:**

if you don’t mind me asking though, I have a question for you about last night

**ekelulu** (Rose Scheid)  **said:**

what’s that

**chat noir uwu** (Adrian Garcia)  **said:**

What brought you to the memorial event?? Was there a specific reason you were there

Just curious

**ekelulu** (Rose Scheid)  **said:**

oh

uh

well im trans so i thought it’d be cool to show support for people like me and stuff you knpw

**chat noir uwu** (Adrian Garcia)  **said:**

mtf?

**ekelulu** (Rose Scheid)  **said:**

yeah

**chat noir uwu** (Adrian Garcia)  **said:**

Cool I’m ftm

**ekelulu** (Rose Scheid)  **said:**

oh shit fr?

**chat noir uwu** (Adrian Garcia)  **said:**

Yeah

You pass really well btw

**ekelulu** (Rose Scheid)  **said:**

sdcfvbnjkjhgfgh that’s so nice

thank u

u also pass like super good dude

like i had no idea

**chat noir uwu** (Adrian Garcia)  **said:**

skssk Thanks

Mama’s calling me

So I’ll see you tomorrow??

**ekelulu** (Rose Scheid)  **said:**

oh, yeah!!!!

meet by the bottom of the stairs?

**chat noir uwu** (Adrian Garcia)  **said:**

It’s a date!!!

See you later Rose

**chat noir uwu is now offline**

Rose stared at the words on the screen.

“It’s a date?” she repeated to herself, in question form. She turned off her phone and let it drop onto her bed as she laid back. Surely he didn’t mean a  _ date _ date. They’d just met yesterday. Rose wasn’t even sure if she liked him yet, but the warm flutter in her chest gave her a good hint.


End file.
